PsychiK
by KnightEstoc
Summary: Kazuto Kirigaya is the Most Powerful Psychic in the world. Sadly, that's not helpful when all he wants is a normal, boring school life. Brocon sisters, childhood friends, transfer students, and teenage problems on top of it all... What's someone cursed to be the Main Character to do?
1. Look Before You Leap

**Chapter 1 – Look Before You Leap; Or, Teleportation Is A Garbage Power**

* * *

**April 7th, 2025**

My name is Kazuto Kirigaya, and I'm **the world's most powerful psychic**. Now, you might be thinking this is a good thing. It's not. Trust me, it's _really, really not_.

A lot of people in the world think they want to have the kinds of powers I do. I bet a lot of you have fantasized about it. Getting to read minds. Turning invisible. X-ray vision. Telekinesis. Transforming into something else. Weather control, pyrokinesis, healing with a touch. Everyone thinks they want them.

But have they ever stopped to think about what it would be _like_ to have them? I sincerely doubt it, because if they had to deal with what I have to put up with, then psychic powers would be somewhere between genital herpes and twenty punches to the face on the ranked list of things people want. Sure, they can be convenient from time to time, but the downsides are just awful.

Oh? You don't believe me? Alright then, I'll prove it.

Invisibility. What would you even use it for? Peeping on people while they're naked? Perverts. When you think about it, what do you imagine? You imagine you're just going to disappear instantly, right? It's not like that. First, I have to concentrate incredibly hard for a minute, and if I get distracted by anything - a fly buzzing around me, someone saying something louder than usual, anything at all - I have to start over because my concentration was broken. Then, after a minute, I finally turn invisible, just like that... for ten minutes. After ten minutes, I turn back to normal, no matter where or what I'm doing. Hope you can turn invisible, sneak into the girl's locker room, get an eyeful, and get out in ten minutes. And if I'm touched by anyone at all? The invisibility is broken immediately and guess what, another minute to turn invisible again.

Sounds so incredibly useful, right?

How about X-ray vision, then? Sure, that one sucks too. What, you thought I was gonna say something teenage-boy-like and go, 'Yay boobies!'? Of course not. If I stare at something for five seconds, I can start seeing through it. And yes, that means if I stare at someone for five seconds, I can see through their clothes. Have you ever stared intently at someone? I'd look like a creeper even without X-ray vision. 'But you get to see underwear', I hear the unwashed mouth-breathing horde complaining. I will admit that yes, I do. For about half a second, before I see through their underwear, skin, and muscle. Turns out, I can't see through bones. It's disconcerting, and I do my best to never use this ability if I can help it.

Not convinced how much my psychic abilities suck? Alright, that's fine. Let's talk telekinesis. I have two modes: barely strong enough to move a block of steel, and strong enough to rip a building out of the ground, spin it around my head, and then launch it into the atmosphere like I was swatting a fly. If I really tried, I could probably lift all of Tokyo, at the same time. Flying is totally out of the question, and if I tried to pick someone up with my powers then either they're headed for the moon or I can barely make them wobble back and forth. So yeah, I have telekinesis, but it's functionally pointless unless I concentrate really, really hard.

What else? Transforming? It takes way too long to be of any use. Whatever I transform into, I have to stay that way for at least two hours before I can transform again, so I can't use it to suddenly ace gym class and then act like nothing happened. Weather control? Do you know how exhausting it is to move wind? I doubt it, since you think weather control is a power you'd like to have.

The astute reader might have noticed that I've been ignoring one ability in particular I've already mentioned I have. And there's a good reason for that. Yeah, a really good reason. Telepathy is awful. I hate that I have this ability. If I had to deal with ten times as many downsides for everything else I have, I would if that meant I could get rid of my telepathy. Why is it so bad? Well. It's a pretty obvious reason. _I can't control it_. No matter what I do, I can't stop hearing everyone's thoughts. Here, have a sample:

_'I hate my boss.'_

_'Ugh, mornings...'_

_'Time to go to school! Braid, check! School uniform, check! Homework, check! ...Oh no, Rika's already outside?!'_

_'I'm going to be late!'_

_'Be careful, don't break anything. Be careful, don't break anything. Be careful...'_

_'Asuna's taking a long time...'_

_'My sealed right eye aches! Is an agent of the Dark Kingdom spying on me?!'_

_'Mm... Morning, Pina...'_

See? Every thought of every person in my range is crammed straight into my brain. I've been forced to put up with the abject stupidity of the human race for as long as I've been able to remember. It was even worse before I figured out a way to somewhat control it; back when I was a kid, I didn't even know _that_ and my range was the entire country of Japan.

And this isn't even the worst part of this ability.

_'Ahh, Kazuto isn't out of his room yet! I couldn't run into him this morning getting out of the bath in my towel! But that's okay, I still get to walk to school with him! Nothing makes me happier than walking to school with my big brother. I love you, I love you, I love you!'_

That? That's my little sister. Technically my cousin. If she's sticking to her regular routine right now, she's probably hugging a stuffed animal to her chest and rolling around on the bed. Suguha is the one person I can never block out at all, no matter how far away I've gotten from her. She once went to a kendo tournament on the other side of the country, and even though she was way out of my range I could still hear her every thought. Which were mostly variations of 'I wish Kazuto were here to see me win!' and the like.

You see, my sister is a brocon. All day, every day, almost all she thinks about is me, me, me. Oh, she hides it really well - I don't think anyone would suspect a thing. She acts perfectly normal in front of everyone, and if I didn't know better I think even I would be fooled by her appearance. But as soon as she's alone in her room, or in her thoughts? It's Kazuto, Kazuto, Kazuto, and it drives me crazy!

Now, you might wonder why she thinks these things, but pretends to be a normal sister in person? That's because she doesn't know. I do my best to keep my psychic powers hidden, because I don't want to be a test subject. Could you imagine the headlines if I revealed myself? And that's not even taking into consideration what would happen to _my_ life. There's no way I wouldn't become some research lab's test subject, poked and prodded like some lab rat for the rest of my life. No thanks. I like my life exactly the way it is. Peaceful, quiet, and uneventful, aside from Sugu's occasional attempt to catch me with my pants literally down.

Or, at least, the way it _was_. Just by the fact that you're reading this, that means my peaceful life as an NPC is over. In that case, I'm going to enjoy the last few moments of my non-MC status as long as possible -

"Kazuto! We're gonna be late for school if we don't get breakfast!"

And there they go. I'll miss you, peace.

Sugu knocked on my door again. "Kazuto? Are you up? We don't have all day!" _'I hope he's asleep, so I can go jump on his bed and wake him up! Sleeping Kazuto is the cutest!'_

Ugh, I'm up, I'm up. I'm already dressed, so stop banging on my door already, Sugu.

"I wouldn't have to if you'd just be downstairs already." When I opened my bedroom door, my little sister was standing outside, hands on her hips. "I don't want to be late for our first day, so let's go eat."

She was dressed in the middle-school uniform. It was the girls' version of the one I'd spent three years in; my own school uniform was the high school's version. Anyone looking at my sister would be hard-pressed to state that she was in middle school, however. If they only saw her face, which normally wore a cute childish expression with her bangs held out of her face by steel clips on either side, they might guess her age of 15 correctly, but if they saw her whole body... She'd grown a lot, recently, and mostly in one area. Aside from her chest, she had strong and muscles that were super defined when she moved around thanks to her intense focus on kendo for... ten years, now.

_'Ahh, Kazuto looks so handsome in his school uniform! I could spend all day just staring at him.'_

Once again your thoughts are markedly different from what your mouth is saying. Besides, I've been ready for at least fifteen minutes, I just didn't want to walk out of my room and risk you giving me an eyeful on 'accident'.

When we sat down for breakfast, our mother smiled. "Are you ready for your first day of high school, Kazuto?" Mom asked.

Naturally, this story starts at the beginning of my high school career. Because when else would it start? The middle of the year? Regardless, I'm looking forward to my first day of high school about as much as I look forward to every first day of school.

Mom laughed. "Don't look so down or you won't be popular with the girls. You're cute, Kazuto, so get ready to start breaking some hearts."

"Mom, really?" Sugu complained. _'Never! I'll never let some girl sink her hooks into my Kazuto, he's mine!'_

Seriously. Don't jinx me already, Mom. There's still a chance I'm the decoy protagonist and I'll only feature in the first chapter or something.

After the two of us were finished with our breakfast, Mom waved us away when we moved to pick up our own dishes. "You two get going," she said. "I'll take care of the dishes."

"Thanks, Mom!" Sugu gave Mom a hug.

Mom looked like a much older version of my - a much more mature version of my sister, though her hair was brown instead of Sugu's black and tied back into a messy bun rather than clipped like my sister's. I corrected myself because somehow, she'd given me a firm stare as soon as I thought it. Maybe she's psychic too? Or more likely, she just had feminine intuition or something.

Anyway, it's rare for her to be home this early. Mom works as an editor for a computer magazine, which means that most of the time she's home after we go to bed and before we wake up in the morning. She's very busy, and I don't blame her for that. If anything, I'm _glad_ most of the time it's just me and Sugu in the house. It makes it easier for me to hide my powers.

Sugu and I walked down the street, on our way to school. Honestly, I'd prefer to be homeschooled, if only so that I didn't have to worry about accidentally outing myself; but when I'd brought it up to Mom at the beginning of middle school, she'd shaken her head and told me I had to go to school like everyone else. Her thoughts had made it clear that I wasn't getting out of it either, so... here I was, walking to school with my little sister like we did almost every day.

_'Walking to school with Kazuto~, walking to school with Kazuto~, this is so much fun! I missed this over break!'_

Sometimes I wish I didn't have to walk my sister to school, but here we are. There's no good reason for me to refuse, since our two schools are right next to each other. It's an elevator school system, so at least I didn't have to deal with entrance exams. Of course, that meant I had to go a little out of my way to drop her off early.

Along the way, Sugu gasped and hurried over to a nearby tree. She crouched down. "Hi there, kitty," she said, holding her hand out.

"Mya!" The little tabby cat meowed and rubbed against the offered hand. _'Yes, pet me! Give me the praise and honor I deserve!'_

Oh, did you think I could only hear _human_ thoughts? Nooooo, of course not. That would be too simple for my powers. The other reason we tended to leave school early was that every now and then we'd run into this tabby cat on the way, and naturally Sugu would go pet her for a little bit.

"You're really cute," Sugu told the cat, "but I can't take you home. I have to go to school now or I'm going to be late."

"Mya!" _'Very well, your devotion today was acceptable. I shall be back in some time for more.'_

Arrogant thing. But, I can't deny the cat is cute.

It didn't take much longer for the two of us to reach the middle school. "See you later, Kazuto," Sugu said at the entrance. "You'd better hurry, or you'll be late!"

I waved back half-heartedly (_'Hooray, Kazuto waved back!'_) and then walked off. I glanced at my phone to check the time, and grimaced. Sure, our schools were close together, but I still had to walk - and with what my phone was showing, there was no way I was going to make it in time.

If only there was a way for me to, oh, I don't know, teleport or something. Oh wait. I'm psychic. Of course there is.

I ducked into an alley and concentrated. My teleportation power was almost something that bordered on useful - as long as nobody was able to see me before or after I teleported, I could disappear and appear anywhere I had space. Of course, naturally that meant I was limited to places where there weren't any people, so... great in a city filled with people walking around, right? At least by definition it meant I couldn't teleport to a place where there were other people, so I found an appropriate alleyway near the school and teleported -

\- into the alleyway I'd chosen. I turned around to head for the road, and stopped.

Oh. Joy. I just _had_ to jinx myself, didn't I?

My ability to teleport was dependent on not being seen where I left or where I appeared. As it turns out, not being seen was not the same as being alone. Hence, the group of three high-school age punks clustered around a girl wearing the female version of my uniform. Their backs were to me and they were blocking her view of me, so technically the condition of 'Not being seen' was fulfilled. Unfortunately, they were between me and the exit, so there was no way I was getting out of this without passing by them.

Unless I could teleport? I looked -

"Hey, who's that guy there? Where'd he come from?"

Damn it.

One of the punks had noticed me and turned, meaning I wasn't going to be able to teleport out of this one. I looked at them and raised my hands. I don't want any trouble, so just let me pass.

"Get outta here." The thug that was looking at me snorted. "Freakin' ninja, appearing out of nowhere."

His buddy next to him punched his shoulder. "Screw you, ninjas are cool."

Since they weren't going to bother me, I kindly took their invitation and headed for the alley -

_'Please, someone help...'_

...No. No no no. I refuse categorically, I am _NOT_ getting dragged into something this cliché and banal -

_'I don't want them to hurt me...'_

...This sucks. I haven't even been a main character for an hour yet, and I'm already getting involved in something I'd really rather avoid.

I stopped walking. Ninja-liking Punk glanced over his shoulder at me, and then turned around fully. "Huuuh? You got something to say?"

Let's see... I can do this, I just need to hold back my full strength about ninety percent. I swept my arm out to the side, just barely brushing against the punk's arm. Instantly the boy went flying down the alley, sliding face-first down the length of it. Silence reigned for a few seconds before the other two made the executive decision to get out of there, grabbing their downed friend and running away.

I watched them flee before turning back to the girl that I'd rescued. I didn't sigh in irritation, but only because I already knew what I was getting myself into thanks to being able to hear the thoughts of Asuna Yuuki, the girl I'd just rescued by being a big damn hero.

Oh, I knew _exactly_ what I'd just gotten myself into. Rich, pretty, good grades, and an approachable personality. With all the qualities of a perfect person, it was no wonder the entire student body adored Asuna Yuuki, to the point that three quarters of the boys and half the girls had her on their mind constantly. According to the student-run newspaper, she was the most popular person in both the high school and middle school.

Naturally, I wanted nothing to do with her.

_'He... saved me!'_

Of course, it seems the universe had other plans for me. "Um... Thank you very much," Asuna said with a flustered bow. She straightened up and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. Then she smiled, and a lesser man would be flustered. "You rescued me from those boys. My name is -"

I already know your name, and I don't care.

I was already walking down the alley, heading for school, when she finally noticed that I'd turned my back on her mid-sentence and walked away. _'Is he walking away?!'_ "H-Hey, wait-"

I rounded the corner before she could do more than reach out for me. Fortunately, nobody noticed me walking out of the alleyway, or the fact that the most beautiful girl in the high school exited a few seconds after me. _That_ would have been a great way to start my high school career.

_'I'll just have to thank him later! He's a first year, so it won't be that hard to find him at lunchtime!'_

Why me?

* * *

The school I went to was incredibly, blissfully generic. It wasn't some battle classroom where guys had to crossdress to avoid getting attacked by weapon-wielding girls, or some strange gambling den where the stakes were high and the number of insane gambles and insane gamblers was higher, or a place where we were taught to be assassins by a super-fast octopus human weapon. No, it was a simple setup; a three-story building with a pleasing casual brick structure that was _not_ hiding some sort of evil secret in the basement (trust me, I checked).

Each floor had three main classrooms – A, B, and C – and a few other specialized rooms, like science labs and music rooms and stuff like that. The gym and the running track were in a separate building not visible from the street, tucked away behind the main building; they were a lot more modern than the traditional brick, with plastic and metal making up the outside.

The first thing I had to do, of course, was stand in a row with everyone else in the school and listen to the principal greet us for the start of a new school year. It was, thankfully, very uneventful. Everything I was used to from middle school, back before some _hack _started writing this story and I was dragged into my role as an MC kicking and screaming.

My first day of classes, after the intro ceremony was over, was normal and dare I say it, a little boring. It was a good thing that I could make it through the classes without having to pay any real attention to Ms. Ryoko, since most of my focus kept getting dragged off of my silver-haired teacher ('It's natural,' she insisted when one of the girls asked why she could have dyed hair) and towards a class about... one floor up and two rooms over from my own class of 1-C.

Naturally, Asuna's thoughts kept drifting my way, and I just couldn't ignore it. You know how when you're in a crowded room, you can still hear your name being called even over the chatter? The human mind is just designed to prioritize something that could be referring to us. I think it's some sort of survival trait. Now, imagine how frustrating that would be if you could hear someone _thinking_ about you.

_'That freshman... He rescued me from those boys this morning, I have to thank him as soon as possible.'_

I'd really prefer if you didn't, actually.

Having _the_ Asuna Yuuki come to speak with me out of the blue, especially on the first day of classes, was just asking for my peaceful life to be ruined. I was going to do my absolute best to avoid getting noticed by anyone at all. The longer I could hold off my MC status, the better - I even deliberately swapped seats with someone so that there was no empty seat next to me, and I wasn't sitting next to any of the windows. I was surrounded on all sides by people that couldn't threaten my status; the girl to my right had brownish-grey hair (a weird color but normal compared to Ms. Ryoko) in a simple cut, the boy to my left was plain as could be, and the two students in front of me and behind me were more focused on their studies than the quiet boy sitting in-between them.

_'I'll go find his classroom at lunch. Oh! Though I don't know if he'd like it if I suddenly said something in front of everyone...'_

Yes! She can think things through -

_'In that case, since I don't want to bother him, I'll just ask to speak with him privately.'_

Ugh! Be aware of your surroundings, damn it!

Asuna Yuuki was clearly aware of her beauty. She'd be a fool not to. And she also knew what kind of effect her beauty would have on the rest of the students around here - so why would she think talking to me privately would work well?! If that happened, then rumors would spread around the school instantly. Everyone everywhere, including the seniors and probably even the middle school students, would know that I spoke with the school's princess privately.

For my peace of mind, I need to take drastic action.

The rest of class went by fairly smoothly, though I kept having the occasional (_'I wonder if he'd like some sort of reward? I can't pay him, but maybe I could make him lunch once!'_) ...interruption. That's even worse, Miss Yuuki!

In any event, the classes were mostly introductory lessons, explaining what we'd be learning or the teacher introducing themselves. It was almost a relief when the bell rang and the teacher looked up before saying that we were dismissed for lunch. Immediately, the students around me started packing up their books into their bags and splitting off into little groups. I could see the students grouping off already; the friends that have been together since childhood with little inside jokes that nobody else gets, the small gang of people that met for the first time and hit it off, the 'pretty girls' already gossiping about cute boys...

I really couldn't care less about any of that. I was getting bombarded by enough of their thoughts to know exactly what all of the inside jokes meant (and they weren't really that funny), the new friends were still quietly judging the people they were light-heartedly eating lunch with (half the groups wouldn't last the full week), and all of the pretty girls were lying about having boyfriends. So, in other words, typical school lunches.

_'Let's see, he wasn't in class 1-A or 1-B, so it has to be here...'_

By the pricking of my telepathy, something exhausting this way comes to talk to me. It was a good thing that I'd kept tabs on Asuna's mental monologue, or she might have caught me off-guard. For someone so popular that everyone whispers when she passes, she can really move when she tries. Of course, since I knew exactly where she was at all times (since I was 'tuned in' to her thoughts, so to speak) I knew her whole plan to find me, which meant that I could time everything perfectly.

_'1-C, this is it.'_ There was a light tapping at the door to my classroom before it slid open. Instantly, the conversations across the room died as Asuna stepped into the classroom. Her long, silky hair streamed through the air, and the faintest scent of her perfume drifted into the classroom; the pretty girls instantly got jealous, and the boys instantly started fantasizing. The mental comments from my classmates were pretty much exclusively about Asuna and how beautiful she was, from her legs and hips to her face, comparable to a super-model. _'Huh? This is the only class left, but... I don't see him anywhere...'_

You might be wondering, where did I go? The hallways were crowded, but there was no way I could have gone anywhere down the hall without running into Asuna on the way, since my class was sequestered down at the end of the hall. However, here she was, standing in my classroom, unable to see me.

Well, that would be because I timed everything perfectly and finished concentrating for a minute just as she opened the door and took everyone's attention off of me. I turned invisible without anyone noticing.

"Um, c-can I help you?" one of the girls standing near the door asked Asuna.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm sorry." Asuna smiled at the girl. (_'She's so beautiful!'_ _'I'd _die_ for hair that nice.'_ _'Oh no! If I don't leave now, I'll be late for the audition!' __'Look at those legs!'_) "I was looking for someone I met this morning, but I don't see him. I'll try to find him later. Sorry to bother you, everyone."

"I-It wasn't a problem at all," the girl blurted out, just before Asuna waved to the class and turned on her heel before walking out again. The door slid shut behind her, but the phantom presence of her perfume lingered in the air, reminding me of exactly how close a call I'd just had.

_'Maybe I missed him and he already went to lunch...'_

I smiled to myself as I let myself appear again. Everyone was too busy gossiping with everyone else about the visit from Asuna, so nobody noticed me suddenly appear in my desk without crossing the intervening space. That particular bullet had been dodged, and I could continue my life without having to worry about everyone knowing who I was. I just needed to go home and let this blow over, and it would be fine.

...

I gritted my teeth as I stepped outside the school, the warning signs already showing up. Asuna was standing patiently by the gate, smiling as everyone passed by her; the students were all whispering about it, their thoughts racing in different directions but somehow ending up at the same place of _'I wonder who she's waiting for.'_ Asuna had a good mental image of my face at the forefront of her mind, which meant that I couldn't possibly walk out the front gate. Invisibility was useless (no surprise there) because there were so many students walking out that I'd be forced to bump into someone, and I couldn't wait for her to leave for several reasons. Chief among them being that Asuna was incredibly determined to just stay there all day if she had to, with the second most pressing reason being that I always picked Sugu up from school and we walked home together.

I didn't want to risk seeing what would happen if my brocon of a sister didn't get some time alone with me.

Well, that just meant that I had to teleport again. It was always a pain, trying to figure out where and when I could teleport. Fortunately, though, there was another alley right next to the middle school, so I didn't have to look very hard. I ducked back inside and found a stall in the nearest bathroom before I concentrated -

\- and appeared in the alley. I wish there was a better way for me to teleport, but no, smelly alleyways for me. Great. When I walked up the sidewalk to Sugu's school, she was already waiting for me. _'Kazuto's here! I missed seeing him so much!'_ "You're late, Kazuto."

Sorry, I had to take a detour on my way to pick you up.

The two of us walked back home like usual. Sugu rambled about her classmates and her first day of school, telling me all about the girls and guys. It was almost impressive, the way she spoke totally neutrally about the boys that kept peeking at her as though it was something normal. I might have to ensure that a few accidents mess up the more blatant perverts' homework...

Hey, I may not want to use my psychic powers often, but Sugu was still my sister no matter how weird she acted around me. I wasn't going to let anyone stare at her with those eyes. And besides, it was just homework. Though if they _kept_ staring, I'd have to -

"Kazuto? Who is that?"

I looked up at Sugu's question, and then stared at the entrance to our house. It was the same as always, with the two decorative bamboo pots on either side of the gate entrance. The traditional Japanese house was the same, too. The only difference was, naturally, the beautiful girl standing in front of the entrance, her school bag in her hands. The breeze kicked up abruptly, sending flower petals floating past her and tousling her hair artfully before swirling towards me and my sister. Asuna tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and turned, before smiling.

"Hello again!" she said. "I was looking for you at lunch, but I think I must have missed you."

How had she found me?!

Sugu, eyes wide, looked between me and Asuna. "Kazuto, do you know her?" _'Does he know this gril? Is she his girlfriend? No way! I won't accept him having such a beautiful girlfriend!'_

I ignored the question and the thoughts. I couldn't know for certain, but I could guess. She'd probably just charmed one of the teachers into telling her where I lived after looking at the class roster to find out my name. It wouldn't even have been hard.

Asuna smiled at Sugu. "Oh, he and I ran into each other on the way to school this morning. Kirigaya saved me from a group of boys that were harassing me, so I really wanted to talk to him to properly say thank you."

"Kazuto saved you? That doesn't sound like my brother..." _'I knew he was amazing! I bet he saved the day, like a white knight riding in on a horse!'_

I'm going to take away your ice cream for that, Sugu. The next time you buy ice cream, it'll melt for no reason at all, and you'll have no idea why.

Asuna giggled. "Well, either way, he did. You should have more faith in your big brother." Sugu folded her arms, and I noticed that Asuna's eyes widened a little bit at the motion, though the girl was too polite (read: a model girl of high-class society) to say anything. Her thoughts betrayed her, though: _'What does she _eat_?!'_ Well, that was everyone's reaction to my little sister, so it's fine. "U-Um, Kirigaya, I owe you - Eh?!"

Naturally, as soon as I realized she'd just followed me home to keep talking about how much she owed me, and how she really wanted to do something to pay me back, I'd just walked by her and up the path to our front door.

"S-Sorry! Thank you for stopping by, Miss, um..."

"Yuuki," Asuna said as Sugu hesitated. "My name is Asuna Yuuki."

Sugu bowed. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Suguha Kirigaya. Thanks for visiting, and sorry about my brother again!"

Oh, you say that, but I can hear what you're thinking.

_'Eheheh! Kazuto would rather spend time with me than her! I knew it! My big brother is the best!'_

Well, joke's on you, since I'm going up to my room and locking the door behind me.

As the two of us headed inside our house, Asuna stood outside numbly. _'What... just happened?'_ It took her a few seconds to realize that the two of us had just left her outside. _'...I'll just find a way to get him to talk to me. I'm going to repay him for saving me earlier!'_

Ugh... I can't believe I haven't even been a main character for a day and I'm already tangled up in something troublesome...

* * *

'Troublesome' was definitely the right way to describe Asuna Yuuki and her quest to find a way to pay what she felt she owed for her rescue. Day in and day out, I wasn't ever able to be alone. Sugu and I would be walking to school, and out of nowhere we'd just 'coincidentally' run into Asuna, who'd chosen to start taking a different route to school with her brown-haired friend. I was able to avoid that most of the time by keeping track of her thoughts and carefully steering Sugu down different streets, since she never questioned me while we were walking together. Sometimes, her brocon nature came in handy.

And it wasn't like I was safe at school, either. Even though Asuna's classes were on the second floor, every time she had a break she'd be heading down to my classroom to see if she could say hello. I was smart enough to leave before she could find me, and I was always able to dodge her well enough that she never quite managed to catch me. It always left her a little frustrated, and I'd almost feel bad about that if I didn't know exactly how frustrated I'd feel once she finally caught me and the rumors started flying.

It wasn't just during breaks, either. During gym class, I'd be running out on the track and suddenly, _'Ah, that's Kazuto! I can see him from up here... I wonder if he can see me?'_ Sure enough, when I'd look up at the school, I could make out long, chestnut-colored hair next to the window. Oh, of course. Asuna has the protagonist's seat. Did my life turn into an eroge when I wasn't looking?! _'He's looking up at me!' _There was motion by the window, something that I'm assuming meant she was waving.

Of _course_ I didn't wave back. That would be stupid.

_'Oh... maybe he didn't see me?'_

I sighed to myself.

It wasn't just that, either. Somehow, she would find a way to appear wherever I went; when I went to the library in order to check out some textbooks, Asuna was right there studying faithfully, like a good student. I would hide as soon as I saw her, but it was still frustrating because I could hear her thoughts clearly. _'He checked out those textbooks yesterday, and they're one-day only, so he _has_ to be turning them in today. I'm not leaving until I see him!'_ Ugh.

When I would go to the cafeteria to buy myself lunch, Asuna would be standing by the tables, a prepared lunch in hand as she scanned the floor for me. _'I'm sure he'll enjoy a home-made lunch from me! Now, where is he?'_

Even when I tried to go to the bathroom... _'I saw him go in, so he'll _have_ to come out sooner or later!'_

Utterly ridiculous. I was able to avoid her through careful preparation, though I had to use a few of my psychic powers. The books floated through the air to pile neatly on the librarian's desk when she wasn't looking, joining the stack already in the 'return' pile; the monumental effort exhausted me for the rest of the day to the point that Sugu actually asked me if I'd taken up running or kendo again, but I was able to avoid seeing Asuna. Instead of buying my lunch that day, I just teleported home and made myself pasta with pepperoncini like my cooking app recommended; it wasn't something I could reliably do every day, but if I didn't have to receive a hand-made lunch from _the_ Asuna Yuuki in front of every horny teenager in the school then I counted that a win in my book.

As for the bathroom situation, well... It was a good thing Asuna had been on the way to the bathroom herself, or I might have been stuck in there a little bit longer.

There was just no peace at all! At least Asuna hadn't been following me and Sugu home again, which was a relief. I didn't want to have to answer weird questions from my sister about why Asuna was so interested in me. In fact, if I never had that conversation at all then it'd still be way too soon.

You might be thinking, why am I going through so many lengths to avoid Asuna? There were times when I could have talked to her privately, or without any observers. Or, worst case scenario, I could have used my psychic abilities to make everyone forget that I talked to her, no matter how time-consuming and difficult it would be to go through every single person's memory and get rid of the meeting. The thing is, I don't want to get involved with any of this. As soon as I give in once, it'll be easier for the next problem to pop up. And then if I deal with _that_, the third issue will have an even easier time. In the end, I would have the least amount of trouble if I just avoided Asuna entirely.

I was on the way to school a week after the first time I rescued Asuna when I realized that she hadn't been anywhere close to my route. I hadn't even needed to take a detour or anything. That was strange enough on its own - and then I realized exactly why she'd left me alone this morning as I approached an alley.

_'That's the guy, so guess we should get in position.'_

As I walked past the alley entrance, I saw the reason for the weird thoughts I'd picked up. Asuna was standing against a wall, a trio of boys wearing our school uniform surrounding her. They were arranged so that she was very obviously the person they were 'harassing', and in plain sight of anyone (read: me) walking by. "Hey, give us some cash," the brown-haired boy on the left said. I didn't recognize his face, so he was probably in a different class.

"Oh no," Asuna gasped. "Please, someone help me..." _'He _has_ to help me! He did last time! So when he saves me again, I can stop him before he - IS HE WALKING AWAY?!'_

Of course I was. I had no reason to bother with this little play. She was an excellent actress, I'll admit. If I hadn't known since yesterday that she was trying to organize this whole event right in front of me, I might have actually believed it. Instead, I just kept walking. After all, I didn't want to be late for school.

_'Ugh... That didn't work at all...'_

_'...She's still paying us, right?'_

Heh. I'd almost feel sorry for the poor girl, since her plan had backfired so badly, but at the same time, that's what she gets for -

_'N-Never mind forget the money, I'm out of here!'_

_'Crap, run!'_

_'What do I do, what do I do? Should I scream? But if I scream, they'll...'_

I frowned and stopped, looking back. I almost immediately had to step to the side as the three boys that had been 'bothering' Asuna ran away, white-faced.

_'Please, save me!'_

...This really sucks.

I rounded the corner to see Asuna clutching her bag to her chest, trying vainly to protect herself against the three thugs that had attacked her a week ago. One of them had a huge bandage covering the side of his face; he was probably the one that I'd knocked out last time to chase them off.

"Not so tough now without your boyfriend to save you, huh?" the leader sneered. He grabbed Asuna's hand and forced it up, pushing her up against the wall. Asuna winced and bit back a whimper, though since I could hear her thoughts I could hear the internal complaint from the pain. "So come on, rich girl, my friend here had to go to the hospital because of you. You should at least pay his medical bills, right?"

"Yeah, how much was it?" His friend nudged the injured guy. "It was like, 100k yen, right?"

"No way, man, it was like 200k!"

The leader cackled. "See? You can pay that, right?"

Asuna winced as his hand tightened on her wrist. "Please... you're hurting me..."

"Well, maybe you should have thought about that before your boyfriend hurt my buddy here."

Asuna's eyes narrowed. "He is _not_ my boyfriend." She glares up at the boy unflinchingly. _'If I can protect Kazuto even a little, then I'll pay him whatever he wants. It's my fault he's gotten into this mess.'_

"So what's it gonna be?" the leader sneered. "If you don't have the cash you can always -"

My fist collided against the side of the injured guy's head. I held back as much as I could, but I was still way, way stronger than any normal human. He went flying with a neat cartoonish spin, before landing and sliding down the length of the alleyway again, this time on his right cheek. There we go, now he can get some bandages on that side of his face too.

Asuna's eyes widened. "Kazuto?!" _'Why is he here?! He already walked away!'_

"The boyfriend returns," Tough Guy Two said, before punching his fist into his palm like he was going to do anything more than hurt his hand. "Let's go, tough BUGWEHH!"

I wonder what a Bugwehh is. It probably has something to do with the fact that I'd punched him in the face, sending him flying and breaking his nose in the process.

The third and final thug, the one who was holding Asuna's wrist, let her go and backed off. _'What the fuck? No way in hell I can take him!'_ "Whoa, whoa, hey, let's take it easy here -"

I looked at Asuna, who was cradling her wrist against her chest. He'd left red marks on her skin. Asuna had gotten hurt because she'd tried to protect me... I glared at him. He whimpered and tried to run, and it wasn't hard to flex my telekinesis just enough to knock him to the ground. He scrambled backwards on his hands and knees until he bumped into the alleyway. _'Get away, get away!'_

I smirked as I walked over to him and knelt down and -

...What? I didn't hurt him. God, I hate that I had to hurt the other two in the first place! Don't take things so seriously. All I did was make sure he couldn't get a song out of his head. It'd just keep popping up over and over again at random times every day, long enough for the entire song to play through exactly seven times before going away again. I'd turn it off after a few days, once I'm sure he's learned his lesson. I wonder if he even knew enough English to understand Mambo No. 5?

Whatever. Scram.

The punk scrambled to his feet and grabbed his buddies, getting them to their feet. The three of them ran off, and I grinned as someone singing about Monica, Erica, Rita, Tina, Sandra, Mary, and Jessica faded away in the distance. There we go, they shouldn't be bothering Asuna again, especially since I'd taken the liberty of using my powers to implant a deep fear whenever they thought about approaching Asuna again or tried to talk about me at all. I have to make sure I'm anonymous, after all.

"Kazuto..." I turned just before Asuna hugged me.

What. What? What is happening why is she hugging me, did I just break the princess of our school or something. Help?

"Thank you," she mumbled into my chest. "I was so scared, and then you were there! Somehow... Somehow I knew you would save me."

You're crazy.

She shook her head. "I don't think so. I could feel it, that you'd be there when I needed you."

...Don't get used to it. Asuna looked up at me and giggled. What's so funny?

Asuna stepped back and wiped at her eyes. "You're a nice person, aren't you?"

Why would she think I wasn't? Just because I was dodging her at every turn, and deliberately avoiding her, and rudely walked past her without saying anything when she showed up at my house, and... Oh. I can kinda understand why she might have gotten the wrong impression.

Well, whatever. The day was saved, the girl was okay, I was... oh, crap, I'd done something MC-like, hadn't I?

"This is the second time you've saved me, isn't it? I know! To repay you, why don't we eat lunch together? I made some extra sandwiches, so I'd love for you to eat them."

This sucks... I tried to turn and walk away, but before I could get more than a step Asuna snagged my wrist with her hand. She was surprisingly quick, and I didn't have enough time between her thought of 'I have to stop him!' and her hand closing around my arm to pull away.

She smiled at me, and I could see some sort of dark ominous aura behind the girl. Was she psychic? "Kazuto," she said sweetly. "I would really appreciate eating with you at lunch. I _hope_ I'll see you, yes?"

...This girl was terrifying.

Fine, fine, I'll show up.

Asuna let go and smiled, cocking her head to the side in a way that was way too cute for its own good. "That's great!" _'Rika will be sad to stop getting a free sandwich every day, but I really think Kazuto will like it! At least, I hope he will...'_ Wait... Has she been making extra sandwiches every day? Jeez, once this girl's made up her mind it's impossible to change it, huh?

Well, all I have to do is eat her sandwich, thank her for the meal, and then not worry about it again. She'll forget about all this sooner or later, I'm pretty sure.

...

I stared at the sandwich in my hand with undisguised amazement. This... This is...

Asuna giggled. "Do you like it?" Instead of giving her an actual answer, I gobbled the rest of the sandwich down. It was too delicious to stop eating! Ah, the crisp lettuce and fresh tomato were married perfectly with just the correct amount of sauce to the meat filling! Truly, this was the best sandwich I'd ever eaten, surpassing even Sugu's cooking. ...Somewhere, I'm pretty sure my little sister just felt an indescribable rage.

_'...Why do I feel like I need to fight with__ a thieving hussy?'_

Yeah, she's not happy.

"I'll make more sandwiches for tomorrow," Asuna said thoughtfully, staring at my empty hands and the crumbs on the cloth wrapper in front of me. "You ate that one really fast..."

Wait, tomorrow?

Asuna smiled. "Of course! You saved me twice, Kazuto, I can't pay that back with just one sandwich, you know? But... You don't have to eat with me, if you don't want to..."

I stared at her, then down at my hands. If I refused, I'd never get to eat that delicious sandwich ever again...

Fine, we'll eat together. So long as you bring a sandwich.

"I'd love for you to eat my cooking," Asuna said as she tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and smiled prettily. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kazuto!"

She gathered the rest of her lunchbox - empty, since she'd finished her food first - and stood up from the desk she'd borrowed from one of my classmates. She gave me a cheerful wave and then swept out the door, her long hair flowing behind her.

Almost immediately, the whispers and thoughts started flying. "Was that _Asuna Yuuki_?" _'Was she eating lunch with that boy? Is he her boyfriend?'_ _'Now that I look again, he's cute, in a girly way...'_ "I can't believe Asuna Yuuki came to our classroom, dude!" _'I wonder when I'll get the audition results...' _"She's super pretty..."

Goodbye, my peaceful NPC life... I will miss you.

* * *

**What am I doing…**

**So! This story began as I was talking with SaintInfernalNeos about how One Punch Man was getting a season 2. Which, naturally, drifted in subject to Mob Psycho 100… and that's how the basic idea was born, of a psychic Kirito unable to properly control his abilities. Of course, Kirito just being super passive and emotionless the whole time would make for a really boring protagonist?**

**Then I remembered Saiki Kusou. And from there it all just fell into place – including the title, which just popped into my head like "Holy crap I never come up with titles this quickly, now I HAVE to write it."**

**Basically, this is going to be a light-hearted comedy story about Kazuto having an awful time with psychic powers. Try not to take things too seriously; the 4th wall is more like the 4th suggestion. Consider it a crack fic if you want, though hopefully the insanity seems like it's _somewhat_ constrained.  
**

**Basic rule of thumb: '**_**italics inside single quotes**_**' is Kazuto hearing thoughts. Other italics are _for emphasis!_  
**

**And, pre-emptively, "Is Kazuto actually talking, or just thinking his responses, or broadcasting his thoughts when talking to other people?" The answer to that question: Yes, at least one of those is probably true.**

**Let's have some fun, shall we?**


	2. An Idol Enters The Stage

**Chapter 2: An Idol Enters The Stage; Or, Why I Need To Control My Teleportation**

* * *

**April 25th, 2025**

Once more, I sat down at my desk for lunch and tried to ignore the whispers around me.

"I can't believe _Asuna Yuuki_ eats lunch with him." "I know, he's not even _popular_." _'But he's kinda got a girly cute look to him, though...' 'Man, that guy's so lucky! Getting to eat lunch with our Princess!' 'I should talk to him and see if he's interested in joining the Asuna Yuuki Fanclub as a probationary member...'_

Seriously. Some people are just... the worst.

It had been about three weeks since the start of school, and Asuna had been coming down to eat with me every day for two of them. I didn't mind all that much - she brought sandwiches with her, so it's not like I really _wanted_ her to stop - but it was annoying how every person in my class couldn't tear their eyes or thoughts away from me and her.

And hey! I don't care, but popularity isn't that big a deal! I could probably be popular if I wanted, all things considered. It was just knowing who to talk to, how they reacted, and how to dress. Dressing wasn't that hard, I could always ask my sister for help and the brocon of the century would have no problem picking out things that would look great on me. As for the other two, I'm **the most powerful psychic in the world**. I can't help but know exactly what everyone else wants to hear.

Well, whatever. It's not a big deal. ...Better than the comments about my face being girly. I don't look girly. I _don't._

Asuna smiled at me from the other side of my desk. "What's wrong, Kazuto? Is the sandwich - oh, you already finished the first one."

Had I? I hadn't even noticed when I finished eating the sandwich she'd given me. But there was the aftertaste of something amazing in my mouth, so I must have eaten it...

"I brought a lot today, so help yourself!"

Don't mind if I do.

While I chowed down on the second sandwich that Asuna produced, she sat back after placing her chopsticks with her bento. She'd eaten primly and delicately, unlike the rest of my classmates who were more likely to shovel their food in their mouth than savor it. At least she hadn't tried to talk with her mouth full. Even if I _could_ understand what she was thinking, it was still gross.

Asuna giggled as I polished off the second sandwich. _'I'm so glad he enjoys the sandwiches!'_ "Have you heard that there's a new girl in the third years, did you know?"

I might have heard about it, but I wouldn't know for certain. Unless I paid attention, of course.

"I guess that makes sense," Asuna replied. "I don't think many people have heard about her, yet. She just transferred in a few days ago."

Really? Neat.

Asuna's eyes lit up as she leaned forward. "Apparently, some of the girls were gossiping a lot with her, and she said she doesn't have a boyfriend."

Uh huh. That's interesting.

"But I saw her in the halls when I left for lunch, and she's so pretty! That's strange, right?"

Yeah, strange.

"It turns out," Asuna said, "when they asked her, she said she's been in love with someone for years! She's been pining after him for years, isn't that romantic?"

That seems weird more than anything, to be honest.

Asuna pouted at me. "Ugh, you're such a _boy_, Kazuto. It's cute that she's held someone in her heart, and don't you forget it!" _'I wonder if I'll ever feel that way about someone...'_

Yeah, yeah. I won't forget. It's really plastic –

I flinched when Asuna's foot collided solidly with my shin, just a half second after she thought about kicking me. "It's _romantic_, not _plastic_," she said, and then folded her arms and let out a quiet huff. It was always a surprise when Asuna did things like that. A thought races through her head and then she acts on it.

I looked down at the pile of crumbs laying on the cloth napkin and let out a quiet sigh. These sandwiches always disappeared so quickly... Oh well. Asuna's cooking was delicious, so I never minded. Now that I'd finished the best part of the day, I got out the smaller lunch that Sugu had packed for me. My sister was a pretty good cook, but... she just wasn't up to Asuna's level.

The problem with listening to Asuna's routine gossip was that I _already knew all of it_. Because my telepathy was powerful enough that I could hear my sister's thoughts from across the country, I knew every dirty little secret of the students in the school. I knew that one girl in my class was trying desperately to be an idol; I knew that two students in the class next to me, 1-B, were going out together but trying to keep it a secret from their mutual friend; and I knew that Ms. Ryoko was currently eating lunch in the teacher's room with Asuna's homeroom teacher (Ms. Ryoko was interested in him, but he seemed too preoccupied with his work to notice).

I also knew that the girl up in class 3-C, the one that Asuna was probably talking about, had finally managed to convince her father to let her transfer to this school instead of the all-girls high school she'd been attending before. Apparently, the boy she's interested in lives here, and she's going to try to find him soon.

I just _knew_ that somehow this was going to make my life more complicated. It's almost like being the MC of a story sucked a lot, right?

"That was a good lunch," Asuna sighed, just before the bell rang. "Oh, Kazuto, I -"

"There you are!" _'Jeez, girl, I've been looking all over for you. Sheesh.'_

Asuna and I looked over at the slightly-too-loud voice coming from the entrance to my classroom. A brunette girl was standing there, hands on her hips; she was cute, with freckles dotting her face and her bangs held out of her face thanks to a silver hairclip. "Rika?" Asuna asked. "What are you doing here?"

The newly-named Rika sighed. "Did you lose track of time? We have that meeting with the teacher, remember?"

_'There's no way I lost track of - oh no!'_ Asuna's eyes widened as she checked the watch on her left wrist. "I totally forgot, I'm so sorry, Rika!"

"Don't apologize to me, you're the one who asked to meet up." Rika shook her head as Asuna gathered up her bento and hurried over. "Let's go."

_'But it was her idea, I'm just the one who talked to the teacher... And I _know_ Rika will just tell her everything whether I'm there or not! That's just how she is, after all...'_

I had no idea what they were meeting for, and I didn't particularly care, either. If I wanted to, I could use my telepathy to listen in on the conversation, but I hated it. It was hard enough to filter out the incessant chatter of high school drama on a daily basis without me actually trying to pay attention to any of it in particular.

Fortunately, once the two upperclassmen had left the room, the rest of my classmates calmed down and went back to normal. At least they were getting used to seeing Asuna with me. Soon enough, they won't even bat an eye as she comes and goes, leaving me with a relaxing life...

Wait! Isn't that just the same as Asuna bothering me so much that the class is immune to the charms of such a beautiful girl?! No! N-O! I refuse.

...

Sugu wasn't waiting for me at the entrance of the middle school, something that was ominous in how against the norm it was. Frowning, I 'listened' a little bit harder, scanning across the mental voices of her classmates before realizing what a stupid idea that was -

_'I want to Oooh, check this I think he likes me! No way, my teacher gave Gotta get to nails look great, how did she club -'_

I sighed. The place was just too crowded. There were too many voices all at once, and unless I knew exactly where Sugu was I couldn't listen for her unless she was thinking about me in particular. It was a lot like trying to tune a radio, only the station I was listening for was a brocon ranting about how much she loved her big brother.

Sometimes I wish I wasn't this used to my sister.

In any event, I headed into the campus and started walking up to her class, to see if she'd just gotten delayed or something like that. Who knows what could possibly have happened? Maybe she had made a friend and was talking with - pffft. I can't even think that with a straight face. Sugu, making a friend that's willing to put up with her constant talking about me? That'd never happen.

While I walked, I kept a mental ear out just in case Sugu thought about me; and naturally, right on cue, her thoughts popped up.

_'I hope Kazuto is okay walking home alone today...'_

Huh? Why would I be walking home alone? But, at the very least, I knew where she was, now.

The middle school was built almost exactly like the high school, only just a little bit bigger; it was four classes per floor, instead of three. Pretty much everything else was the same, though. Plus, I'd gone to this school for three years, so making my way to the kendo clubroom wasn't very difficult at all. Not that I'd ever been there myself, of course.

Our grandfather had tried teaching us, but I'd given up after a bit. I still didn't know how to properly control my strength at the time, and replacing the shinai had gotten very expensive. Besides, my computer was way more interesting than swinging a stick around. In the end, I just never got back into the habit of picking up kendo even after I learned how to not smash the swords every time I swung, and so the kendo dojo had (oh so sadly) not been a destination during my middle school years.

Plus I didn't want to draw attention to myself. I just _know_ that if I'd gone there, my life would have turned into some shonen manga or something like that.

It wasn't hard to find the dojo, at least; unlike the rest of the gym area it still looked pretty traditional, with the slanted roof and wooden pillars on the outside. I slid the door open and stepped inside to see a line of students swinging their shinai rhythmically on the wooden floor. They'd swing and step forward, then swing and step back. I looked around, not sure where my little sister was -

_'Kazuto's here! Hooray, he came to see me!'_

I guess she sees me.

Sure enough, after I waited a few seconds for them to finish their current drill, one of the girls bowed and ran towards me. I knew it was Sugu before she even turned to face me because of a few things; her chest being one of them, nearly bursting out of her kendogi as she moved, but more important was the long, drawn-out, _'Kazutooooooo!'_ as she ran.

"What are you doing here?" Sugu asked. _'I hope he's going to stay!'_

I just came to pick you up.

Sugu frowned. "I thought I told you, kendo practice started today. I told you on the way to school, weren't you listening?"

...I was listening, you just didn't tell me.

_'I-I thought I told him... Maybe I didn't...?'_

Part of me felt a little bit bad lying directly to my sister's face like this, but anything would be better than her worrying that I didn't listen to her on the way to school. I tuned her out most of the time, if only so that I didn't have to listen to her thoughts constantly.

"A-Anyway," Sugu muttered, looking away from me and shifting her weight back and forth, "I'll walk home on my own, so you don't have to wait for me." _'Please say no, please say no, stay and watch, stay and watch...'_

Alright, I'll head home early then.

_'Nooooo!'_ "I'll see you back home. And it's your turn to cook, so don't make me do all the work! Oh, and pet the cat for me on the way home if you see her!"

I turned and headed back out the door, sliding it shut behind me. Through the slatted window to the left, I could hear the instructor start up the calls again, the boys and girls in the kendo club swinging again.

I'm just... going to go home. Fortunately, I can teleport, so as soon as I sensed I was alone I focused -

\- and I appeared in the living room. I wobbled and collapsed on the couch. Stupid teleportation nausea... It's not usually that bad, but I forgot to close my eyes before I teleported. Oh well; it passed after a few seconds of slow, deep breaths. It was a lot worse when I was a kid, but by now I've gotten used to it.

Grudgingly, I rolled off of the couch and trudged up to my room. Unfortunately, I still had homework to do. Despite being able to read the teachers' minds whether I wanted to or not, my homework was something I actually had to turn in - though before anyone complains, I don't cheat even when taking tests. I have more self-respect than that, even if it's a pain and takes a lot of time.

About a half hour later, I took another potato chip and ate it before I wrote down the answer to the math problem. The music I could hear was soft and soothing, more just background distraction than anything I was actively listening to. I didn't even remember putting it on, but it was really -

_Knock knock knock._

Sugu, get the door!

I crunched down on another potato chip and started working on the next question. ...Hey, wait, I didn't hear Sugu's thoughts, or hear her feet head to the front door, or even some sort of shouted irritated complaint that I was so lazy and should get the door myself, since she was exhausted from kendo practice. (I know my sister very well.) So -

_Knock knock knock._

Ugh... I'm coming, I'm coming.

The music floated through my mind as I headed out of my room and downstairs to the front door. Wait, why would I still hear it? Come to think of it, I never turned any music on in the first place.

Still trying to figure out where the phantom of the pop idol was playing from, I opened the door.

"Kazuto!" I blinked and stared at the girl in front of me for a second before she lunged forward, wrapping me in a huge hug. "Long time no see!"

What... what was Yuuna doing here?!

* * *

_Eh? What's… oh, it's a flashback. Joy._

**November 8th, 2020**

I hummed happily, scrolling down the page. Mom's newspaper had just published an article about Akihiko Kayaba and I'd spent hours pouring over it, trying to figure out everything I can. The world's first VR hardware, the NerveGear, was in development, and he was the mastermind behind it all.

VR was something I was really interested in, because it might be able to help me control my powers. I was **the world's most powerful psychic**, but that really wasn't _good_ or anything. If anything, it _really, really sucked_ because all of my powers had awful downsides. Like my telepathy; I could barely control the range, and that meant I got bombarded by people's thoughts _constantly_, no matter how far away they were. My range had been shrinking as I got more used to my powers, but it would still jump from time to time.

My teleportation was almost subconscious, too. I had a little bit of control, but my telepathy was more of a focus. The most dangerous one to me, though, was my super strength. I had to be very, very careful when picking things up or putting them down; I'd gotten good at that part of it, though it felt really awkward some days. If I'm really lucky, VR will let me walk around without feeling like everything I touch will break.

Since the article with Kayaba mentioned that he was working on a game, I wanted to learn everything I could about him -

_'This dream... I'll see it come true. The floating castle, where players will fight and die for real...'_

What?! What kind of person would want people to die? That's... that's horrible! What an awful person!

Abruptly, I was in a different place entirely. Instead sitting in my room at my computer, I was seated in what looked like some sort of computer lab. It was pretty chilly, and there was a dull roar in the background that sounded like my computer when I was doing something intensive. I sat on a pretty comfortable chair, starting at a blank computer monitor; it looked expensive, way better than what I had at home. I looked behind me to see a row of tall black cabinets made of metal, with lots of blinking green lights. They looked like they were the source of the roaring, and it didn't take long before I realized it was a rack of computers.

The entire left wall of the lab was a whiteboard, with black writing and diagrams on there. There were fainter marks there, like they'd been from the whiteboard after the writing had been there for a long time. It didn't make any sense to me, but there was a small doodle of a bowl of what looked like noodles in the corner. The other side was filled with shelves of books, all of them creased with age and use.

It was almost drowned out by the hum of the computers behind me, but I could hear the familiar _tak-tik-tak_ of someone typing on a keyboard. I turned back to the front of the lab, since I'd been distracted by looking around earlier, and saw someone typing away, staring at the only computer monitors in the lab that were lit up. He (I assumed it was a he, since the short brown hair didn't look very girly) was wearing a white lab coat, but I couldn't see his face.

He didn't seem to have noticed me, so I closed my eyes and tried to focus on my bedroom. If I could just somehow teleport back, nothing would have happened. It would be like nothing at all happened; I wouldn't have been ripped out of my warm room into this loud, chilly, cold -

_Hah-choo!_

I couldn't stop the sudden sneeze from ripping out of me, and it echoed loudly in the room. Abruptly the sound of the typing stopped and the man said, "Professor Shigemura, is that you?"

I sniffled and rubbed at my nose before I stared at his back. I... recognized that voice.

"Professor?" The man sighed and raised a hand to rub at his face. "Did you come to visit with your daughter?" The man turned around in his chair to look behind him. "I'm working on - who are you?"

That voice... That's Akihiko Kayaba!

"How did you get in here?" Kayaba repeated as he rose from his chair. "This is a secure zone, how did -"

I don't know how I got here! I just sneezed and teleported and now I'm sitting in this chair -

Suddenly, I realized what I'd just admitted, and clapped my hands over my mouth. "Teleported?" Kayaba reported. I shook my head. "You just said you teleported."

No I didn't.

Kayaba sighed again and sat down. _'This is why I hate dealing with children...'_ "I'm going to call security unless you tell me exactly how you got here."

I-I don't...

I took a deep breath and let it out. I'd already accidentally told him I'd could teleport, so... why not the rest?

"Well?" Kayaba's hand hovered over the phone. "Security is one press away from storming this room. Unless you stop lying and tell me how you got here, I'm pressing this button."

I bristled when he called me a liar. But I really _did_ teleport!

"Teleportation exists only in games -"

I, I, can prove it, because I can read minds! Because I'm psychic!

_'...What?'_ Kayaba shook his head. "Don't lie to me. That's not possible. Psychic abilities don't exist."

I frowned. Yes they do!

"There is no such thing."

Yes there is!

I concentrated hard, doing my best to control my strength just like Grampa had told me, back when I started practicing kendo - and despite how hard it was, I lifted the pen on Kayaba's desk with my mind. It wobbled in the air, lurching up and down as my control wavered, but it was hovering in the air with nobody touching it.

Hah! See?

Kayaba stared at the pen, then stared at me. _'How is he... That's not possible.'_

It's totally possible!

Suddenly the pen fell from the air as I lost my concentration and landed in his lap. Kayaba picked it up and stared at it. I couldn't tell what was going on in those eyes of his... "Amazing," he said finally. "All these years, and I never dreamed..."

I rocked back and forth in my seat. He was really interested in the pen, but I couldn't exactly leave or anything like that. I didn't even know where I was...

After a second, Kayaba looked up at me again. "So, you really did teleport," he said. "Why haven't you teleported back?"

Because I can't... really control it.

_'A psychic child who can't control his powers... Is this some sort of manga?'_

My eyes widened again when I heard his thoughts clearly. He's... the one who wanted to trap people? Watch them fight and die?

"How do you know that?" Too late, I realized he'd heard that. Kayaba's eyes had changed as he asked his question. They were scary, now, with a weird empty hollowness that I didn't like looking at. "I haven't told anyone my plans. They're hidden deep in the code, and that's something I _know_ nobody has seen."

I heard your thoughts earlier! And, I... accidentally teleported here. But... do you really want to kill people?

Kayaba looked at me. "...Have you ever had a dream, young man?"

I guess, but I usually forget them when I wake up -

"Not that kind of dream. Something that you desire, more than anything else. A goal you strive for." I'm just a kid! How could I know what I wanted to do when I grew up? I shook my head, and Kayaba did the same. "Then you could never understand."

I totally could! I just can't understand why killing people is what you want!

"I -"

A knock at the door made me jump in my seat. I'd been so focused on trying to control the pen and then argue with Kayaba that I had totally missed the thoughts of the two people approaching.

The door opened. "Akihiko? Are you here?" a man asked. "Oh! Forgive me. I didn't realize someone had already come to visit."

"Uncle Aki! Hi!"

I stared at the two people standing at the entrance to the door. One was a tall man in a nice brown suit, wearing glasses. He had a neat goatee and had a few grey streaks in his hair, both of which gave him a 'professor' look. The younger girl beside him smiled widely as she pushed past him. She had short brown hair, the bangs braided to the left where it hung on her shoulder. She was dressed a lot like Sugu did whenever the two of us went out to go shopping with Mom - a simple white T-shirt and a cute skirt.

She met my eyes, let out a squeak, and immediately ducked back behind the man. She peeked out from behind him while she clutched at his pant leg protectively.

"Yuuna, what are you doing?"

"But it's a _boy_," Yuuna protested, pointing at me.

I frowned. Hey, it's better than being a _girl_.

The man sighed and patted her head. "Let go, Yuuna. I have to speak with Akihiko about the development of the NerveGear."

"But Dad..."

"Now, Yuuna."

"Okay..."

The girl looked at me shyly, and then walked over to one of the chairs on the other side of the room and sat down. Kayaba stood up and walked out of the room, probably to speak with the older man.

Yuuna and I sat in silence for a bit. _'Who is he? I wonder why Uncle Aki let him in here.'_ Uncle Aki? Is Kayaba her uncle?

"...Hi, I'm Kazuto. Kazuto Kirigaya."

Yuuna looked at me and frowned. _'I don't know him, but it would be rude to not reply.'_ "My name is Yuuna Shigemura. It's n-nice to meet you."

She bowed quickly and then went back to staring at the ceiling while her legs kicked idly. Well, that went nowhere... I frowned. Why did she have to be so quiet?

A minute into the awkward silence, and Yuuna started humming to herself quietly. It was really nice, and I relaxed and just listened to the music. It was so much easier to drown out the rest of the thoughts crowding at my mind if I just focused on the girl's humming.

After about thirty seconds, it ended abruptly. Aww, why did you stop?

"Stop what?"

The humming.

"I wasn't humming." Yuuna stared at me as if I was crazy.

Yes you were! It went like this...

I tried my best to mimic the melody I'd been listening to, and Yuuna gasped. "I was just humming in my head! How did you know that?!"

I cocked my head to the side. But I was listening to it...

All at once, I realized what had happened. "Can... Can you hear my thoughts?" Yuuna asked, and I nodded. "That's... That's so cool!"

It's cool?

"Yeah!" She smiled. "Oh! Can you hear this?" A different melody started up, and I nodded.

Yeah! It sounds really good!

Yuuna's cheeks tinged pink. "Thank you," she said. "I really want to be a singer when I grow up. So I'm always trying to practice, even in my head! But, um... i-if it bothers you, then I can stop."

Actually, I'd like it if you hum or something. It makes it easier to block out the other thoughts.

"Okay, then, um... Here I go, then."

...

When Kayaba came back into the room, it was to hear Yuuna telling me all about how she really wanted to play the game he was making. "...and Uncle Aki told me that there's going to be a skill all about singing, so I'm going to work hard to make sure I get that one!"

That sounds cool.

"Uh huh!" Yuuna smiled and popped one of those candies she carried around in her mouth. "Uncle Aki! Welcome back."

Kayaba watched her with a small smile. "Did you draw something on my whiteboard again?"

Yuuna pouted. "I've been good! And besides, I was talking with Kazuto the whole time."

"I see."

"Yuuna," the other man - her father, according to what Yuuna had said - said by the doorway. "Come on, it's time to go."

"Aww..." Yuuna sighed but didn't complain _too_ much. Out loud. _'I wanna talk with Kazuto more... Wait, can you hear this?!'_ I knew her dad wouldn't understand why she stared at me and went a little red. "C-Coming!"

Kayaba sat down in his chair and watched her as Yuuna left the room at her father's side. _'So, she wants to play Sword Art Online... I never even imagined she'd be interested in it.'_

And you're going to kill Yuuna?

The genius frowned at me. "Of course not, don't be absurd," he snapped.

But if she plays the game, and you trap players and make them kill, then won't she die?

"I..." Kayaba stared at me for a few seconds, before turning back to the glowing monitor in front of him. He rubbed at his chin and sighed as he stared at it.

I shifted awkwardly and tried to focus on anything else, other than how Kayaba was acting -

\- and jumped as I realized I was back in my room.

That... was weird...

...

_The flashback isn't over yet? Ugh…_

**December 10th, 2020**

_'I wish Kazuto was here today...'_

I looked up from my computer screen as Yuuna's voice floated through my head. She was thinking about me again, huh? I kinda wanted to see her -

"Waah!"

\- and I blinked, my arms still raised like I was holding my mouse. I was back in Dr. Kayaba's lab, and Yuuna had just fallen off of her chair.

Are... you okay, Yuuna?

"You can teleport?!" Yuuna yelped. Kayaba shook his head.

"How do you think he got here the first time you met him, Yuuna?"

Yuuna blinked. "...Oh, I guess that makes sense. But why didn't you tell me?!"

Because I forgot.

"You..." Yuuna crossed her arms. "How do you forget something like that!"

I was listening to your singing, and then I didn't think about it until after you left, sorry.

The girl's cheeks pinked as she looked away and muttered, "...Well, I guess it's okay, then. Oh! Uncle Aki, tell Kazuto what you told me!"

I turned to look at Kayaba. The man in the white lab coat dutifully nodded. "Due to certain considerations," he said, "the NerveGear will be undergoing a redesign. As such, the first commercially available virtual reality will be developed by a different company using the same concept, from what Yuuna's father has told me."

Oh. ...What about -

"Sword Art Online is designed to work best with the NerveGear," Kayaba said. "So the game will be delayed as well, while the redesign is finished." My eyes widened. _'I... hadn't fully considered what I was planning. After what we talked about a month ago, I took a second look at my designs and...'_ His mental voice trailed off as Kayaba shook his head.

...I'll look forward to playing it when the NerveGear comes out, then.

"Kazuto, Kazuto!" Yuuna said. I looked at her. "I have big news too!"

What is it?

"I'm going to be an idol!"

...Congratulations? Did you pass an audition?

Yuuna paused. "Well, not right _now_, but I'm going to practice my hardest until I can convince my dad to let me audition. It's going to be wonderful. You'll come watch when I perform, right?"

Sure. I'll be your biggest fan.

The promise didn't really mean much to me, just something I felt like I should say, but it made Yuuna smile so happily I didn't mind. "Thank you, Kazuto! Just wait, I'll be the best idol ever!"

* * *

**April 25th, 2025**

What... what was Yuuna doing here?!

Yuuna giggled. "I came to see you, silly. My transfer paperwork finally went through last week, so today was my first day at our school. I didn't have time, but... you're on the first floor, right? We should definitely eat lunch together."

I sighed, even while Yuuna hugged me and kept talking. Right. Of course, the girl that Asuna had been talking about would be my childhood friend, transferring into my school. Why wouldn't it be? If it was just some girl that had nothing to do with me, then my life wouldn't nearly be complicated enough.

Yuuna sat on the couch while I poured a cup of tea for both of us and collected a small tray of cookies from the kitchen; fortunately, Sugu kept the pantry well-stocked with sweets, so finding them wasn't hard. "It's been so long, I almost didn't recognize you, Darling," Yuuna said as I sat the plate in front of her. "You've grown up a lot from the young boy you were when I met you, you know."

It's not like she's stayed the same either. The girl sitting on the couch next to me was dressed casually; she must have gone home to change first before coming over. Instead of the regular school uniform, she was wearing some sort of layered outfit with a light-blue button-down shirt under what looked like a loose white sweater with a music note of some sort on the left breast, right over her heart. It looked maybe a little bit too warm for May, but she seemed perfectly comfortable, so I didn't say anything. Maybe the pleated navy-blue skirt she wore helped? But she was also wearing calf-high white socks with her black shoes, so who knows.

I can read her mind, but I'll never understand women's fashion.

Yuuna giggled. "Fashion isn't _that_ hard, Kazuto. _You_ just always want to wear black."

Black is a perfectly acceptable color. Look at your shoes.

Her nose wrinkled. "Not when it's all you wear. Honestly, you haven't changed that much after all..."

I chose to just ignore the comment and snag a cookie. If she wasn't going to eat any, I would.

After swallowing the crumbs, I frowned again. This timing didn't really make any sense. If she'd wanted to transfer, then wouldn't it have been better to start at the beginning of the year?

"Ahh, that hits the spot," Yuuna sighed as she sipped at her tea. "My throat was feeling a little dry, but the tea was perfect. And... ahmm!" With a smile, she pulled a wrapped candy from her pocket and popped it into her mouth. She looked at me. "Lozenge?"

I'm fine, I'm fine.

"Suit yourself, then. So... Actually, I didn't come by _just_ to say hello." _'I bet he's really gonna like this present!'_ "I know you want to ask, so go ahead!"

I sighed. Alright, I'll play along. It's not like I didn't already know the answer already or anything like that.

Why else are you visiting, Yuuna?

Yuuna giggled. "I bet you're gonna be super surprised when I show you!" Then she blinked. "Oh, shoot, I left it outside! I'll be right back."

While she got up and headed out to the porch, I sighed. Yeah... Somehow, I doubt I'm going to be surprised at all.

"Okay, I've got it!" Yuuna burst back into the living room, carrying what looked like a fabric tote bag. I blinked; it was clearly holding a box of some sort, big enough that the bag was straining to hold its shape. "Here you go! C'mon, open it, open it!"

She was so excited I couldn't resist as she pressed the bag towards me. I picked it up and reached inside, and frowned when my fingers brushed cool plastic. I peered inside and then pulled out -

"Tada!" Yuuna cheered as I held the box in my hand. "A NerveGear! They're going to be released soon, but I had to deliver yours now. So? Are you surprised?"

Oh. Oh, I'm taken aback by the shock. There's no way I had any way of knowing what was in this bag until I looked inside to see the image of the helmet staring back at me. After all, it's not like I have _telepathy_ or anything and could read your mind.

Yuuna stared at me for a few seconds, then pouted. "You were nicer as a kid, too. You're so _grumpy _now, Darling."

I had dealt with less idiocy as a kid, too. That sort of thing tends to drag on and on.

"But still, we've known each other for years. Even if you never visited more than a few times, or texted me, or..." Yuuna paused. "Wait, why are we still friends again?"

I really had no idea. But... a NerveGear? They were going to be really expensive, if what Mom's thoughts about the article she was writing on it were any guide. And... there was still something else in the bag... Some sort of folded piece of paper?

"Oh, I know," Yuuna said with a sunny smile. "We're still friends because we're best friends, and that means we're best friends forever, right? And because we're best friends, you should be nicer to me."

Yeah, yeah, whatever. I pulled out the paper and unfolded it, glancing at it. It was actually a letter.

'Kazuto,'

'It's a little early, but -'

_'I knew Kazuto wanted to be best friends with me! This is great! I'm one step closer!'_ Yuna's thoughts interrupted my concentration, which was an unfortunately common occurrence. ...Wait, what? Best friends?

Whatever. Not a problem. Back to the letter.

'It's a little early, but you might enjoy playing around with this before it comes out. Consider this a thank you for everything. I also hope you'll enjoy the world I've created.'

'Kayaba Akihiko'

My eyes scanned over the letter. The world he's created, the game he'd been working on the entire time I'd known him. So it's finally coming out, huh? Sure enough, as soon as I reached into the bag one more time, I pulled out another colorful box with a conical castle prominently displayed on the front of the box. Sword Art Online…

"I was going to just look for you in a few days to say hello," Yuuna said, "but Uncle Aki asked me to give you this, so I had to come right away to see my bestie!"

"I didn't know we had guests coming over...?" _'Who is this girl?! And why is she drinking from _MY_ mug?!'_

I looked over at Sugu; my sister was standing in the living room, staring at us with wide eyes. I wasn't sure how I'd missed her coming home, since she had to have been thinking about me in her head constantly, but she had just returned from kendo practice in time to meet Yuuna.

I wasn't quite sure why Sugu made her first statement sound like a question. In fact, if 'benign confusion' hadn't been better than 'offended irritation that I was talking to a _girl_ other than her' (since not even Asuna had received the Sugu Seal of Approval despite walking to school with us from time to time) I would have complained. ...And did I actually give Yuuna Sugu's mug? I stole a glance at my friend. Sure enough, she was holding Sugu's favorite pink mug, the one with a little bear face on it. I gave it to her as a birthday gift this year. Since my sister is the world's biggest brocon, of _course_ that was the only mug she ever used.

Yuuna smiled and stood up politely. "Nice to meet you. My name is Yuuna Shigemura. I just moved to this area, and since I'm very good friends with your little brother, I thought I'd come say hello."

Sugu blinked. "Little brother?" _'What is she... Oh!'_ "Oh! No, Kazuto is my big brother. My name is Suguha Kirigaya."

Yuuna blinked as well, and then stared at Sugu's chest. _'What does she EAT?!'_ "I'm very sorry! I just assumed..."

So, what do you want, Sugu?

"I just got back from kendo, so I was going to grab a snack." _'But I don't want to leave him alone with her... That's _my_ spot sitting next to Kazuto!'_

I sighed. This was such a pain...

In that case, Yuuna, let's go up to my room. I don't want to disturb Sugu.

"Sure," Yuuna chirped as she followed me out of the living room and up the stairs.

On the face of it, Sugu didn't seem to care, since she was already rummaging through the fridge for one of her juice boxes. I could hear her thoughts, though, and they told me _exactly_ how Sugu felt about this sudden change in situation. Not that it really mattered, since she couldn't show off how much of a brocon she was in front of others. _'…I wanna go up to Kazuto's room too, this isn't fair!'_

_'So this is your room...'_ Yuuna looked around. "It's kinda plain..."

Well sorry for not being an interior decorator.

"That's not what I meant! I meant you don't have any pictures or decorations or anything." Yuuna smiled and clapped her hands together. "We'll have to take a picture together sometime."

Whatever. How was your move?

"It was fine, though I still have to finish unpacking all my boxes for my room," Yuuna said. "Oh, I almost forgot! The whole reason I transferred in the first place!"

Which was...? I'm pretty sure it wasn't to deliver the NerveGear.

Yuuna grinned and stood up from my bed. She spun around and posed, winking at me. "You're looking at a member of the newest idol group! I auditioned, and they finally picked me!"

Oh. That's actually great news, congratulations. You've been working hard, huh?

"Yep!" Yuuna giggled. "We don't have any concerts for a bit, but you'll come to the first one, right? I'll even get you and Suguha great seats!"

Yeah, yeah, I will.

"It's a promise," Yuuna told me with a smile. "You'd better not forget, got it?"

I just rolled my eyes. Like you'd let me.

Yuuna giggled and sat back down on the bed, fussing with her skirt idly. "Hey, Kazuto? Are you still having problems with your powers?"

Not really. I've more or less figured out how to control them.

"That's good. I was pretty sure when you stopped teleporting -"

Shh.

Yuuna stared at me. _'Huh? Why is he -'_

"Can I come in?" I opened the door after Sugu knocked politely. She was holding the tray of cookies, as well as the cups of tea we left on the table. "Sorry, you left these." _'She's sitting on his bed?! He hasn't even let me in his _room_!'_

That's because you'd be all weird about it, Sugu. But I do feel a little bad, so I'll make her favorite food for dinner.

"Thank you very much, Suguha," Yuuna said with a smile.

Sugu nodded and glanced at me again before heading out of the room. _'Ugh, this is so unfair!'_

I made sure to close the door. When I sat down, I sipped at my mug of tea. "Did you not want me saying something about your abilities because Suguha doesn't know?" I nodded. "Kazuto!" Yuuna said. "How have you not told your family?!"

Because it just hasn't come up. And besides, Kayaba said I shouldn't tell anyone, no matter what.

"Uncle Aki did say that..." Yuuna sighed. "I guess. But you should really think about telling her now! It's not fair to keep a big secret like that from her."

...It's not like I'm not keeping other secrets from her. But that one _was_ the biggest by a long shot.

"Anyway." Yuuna stood up, munching on a cookie. "I can't stay too long, or I'll worry Dad. See you in school, Kazuto!"

I'll walk you to the front door.

"Thanks!"

Really, this was just to prevent Sugu from doing or saying anything unnecessary that would give Yuuna the wrong idea. But it seemed to make Yuuna happy, at least.

After the door closed behind her, I turned back and headed to the kitchen.

Sugu, I'm getting started on dinner!

"Okaaay!" she called from wherever she was resting. Probably on her bed.

* * *

I've lived my life as quietly as possible. I didn't make waves, I didn't stand out at all. Aside from the occasional incident beyond my control, like when I accidentally teleported into Kayaba's lab as a kid, I was the very picture of a normal kid.

And yet I'm the main character of this stupid story, so of _course_ things like this are going to happen.

"So, how do you know Kazuto, Miss Shigemura?"

Yuuna smiled sweetly. "Please, Asuna, honey, call me Yuuna. You're the friend of my _best friend_, so I'd like to get along with you too."

Asuna's answering smile was just as sweet as Yuuna's. If I couldn't hear their thoughts, I might have been fooled into thinking that they actually _were_ getting along.

...

The day had started off so great, too; I'd been able to wake up without Sugu trying to sneak into my bed, wash my face without Sugu 'accidentally' running into me after her morning bath from kendo practice, and even walk to school without a girl running into me or some gang member deciding to pick a fight with me or something bizarre like that. But, then lunch happened.

Like usual, Asuna came into my classroom a minute or two after the bell rang with some sandwiches; she sat down, gave me the food, and everything was right with the world. ...And then the door slid open again, a minute or two later.

"Kazuto! There you are, I've been looking for you!"

Immediately, the sight of Yuuna sent _more_ whispers and murmurs through the classroom. "Is that a third-year?" "She's looking for that boy that's always with Asuna, right?" _'She's pretty!'_ _'I wish I could look like that...'_

As Yuuna sat down with us, Asuna's smile became very fixed on her face. "Kazuto, who is this?"

This is Yuuna Shigemura. She just transferred to the school a week or so ago.

Asuna's eyes lit up in recognition. That's right, she'd just been talking about the rumors floating around the school yesterday, hadn't she? So she'd know who Yuuna was. "It's nice to meet you. My name is Asuna Yuuki. I'm Kazuto's _good friend_."

"Is that so?" Yuuna smiled, but it felt cold to me. "How strange that he didn't mention you yesterday, when I visited his house."

...

So, yeah, things were going... swimmingly.

"I've known Kazuto for years," Yuuna said.

"Oh really?" Asuna asked. "That's very interesting."

"Oh, take a look at this," Yuuna said, and held out her cellphone for Asuna to look at. "See? We're such good friends that this is my phone's background."

'_Is that Kazuto in the picture with her?!' _"_Oh really_?" Asuna asked, nearly biting the words off. "That's… very interesting."

In the end, I decided that it would be better to just eat my sandwiches and let the girls sort themselves out. This would all blow over in the end, I was pretty sure. At the very least, their thoughts were pretty civil:

_'This girl, claiming to be Kazuto's best friend when he hasn't said a word about her...'_

_'Asuna, huh? Well, she _is_ really pretty. I'm glad that I came by to say hello or she might have... W-wait, do you eat lunch with her every day, Kazuto?!'_

Hopefully this weirdness hurries up and gets done with, because it's exhausting - and definitely not a way for me to get back to my beloved peaceful life...

* * *

**Enter Yuuna, the idol! This is my first time writing her, so hopefully she comes off well. I took the basic idea of handling Kayaba/SAO from SaintInfernalNeos's Lusus Naturae (with his permission) but decided to change a few things up, so here comes Kazuto, teleporting on his own, a******nd here's the Childhood Friend! Just gonna mark that checkbox on the 'List o' Cliches'... If I have left one box unfilled at the end of this story then _I have done something wrong_.****

**Other important things: Kazuto really isn't that good at emotional stuff, is he? He can read their mind, but not their heart, after all. Besides, it's more fun to watch Asuna and Yuuna butt heads. (All the while, poor Sugu wails and complains in private that she doesn't get to cuddle with her big brother!)  
**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**

* * *

**(thanks to Joshua the Arcanis for making the cover to this story, it's rad)  
**


	3. Even In The Virtual World, No Escape

**Chapter 3 ******– Even In The Virtual World, No Escape****

* * *

**May 1st, 2025**

"Here you go, Kazuto," Asuna sang as she sat down across from me. "The sandwiches!"

"You don't have to make those every day, you know," Yuuna complained. She sat down on my right. _'It's not fair, I wish I could cook like her...'_

Asuna just smiled. "I know, but I like cooking. It's nice to do something in the mornings, and if I can make someone's day better, why shouldn't I?"

"I-I see," Yuuna said. _'Gah! She's so bright and sparkling, it's like looking at the sun!'_

_'Ugh, why is she always trying to stop me from being nice to Kazuto?'_ "Your lunch looks really good, Yuuna," Asuna said as she peeked over my friend's shoulder. "Did you make it yourself?"

"Sure did," Yuuna said. "I have to eat right, or the producers will be mad at me."

"Oh, that's right," Asuna replied. "You're working hard at being an idol, right? I hope it all goes well!" _'I can't believe Kazuto's childhood friend is an _idol_. That's so amazing!'_

Yuuna smiled. "Thank you, Asuna!"

_'He's eating lunch with Asuna again...'_ _'That upperclassman, I've heard rumors she's actually an idol!' 'Uwaaah, there's no way I could ever be as pretty as those two!' 'Should I invite him to the Asuna Yuuki Unofficial Fanclub, or the Yuuna Shigemura Unofficial Fanclub...'_

Today was, like usual, pretty hectic around lunchtime. It probably wasn't ever going to change, honestly. I may be **the world's most powerful psychic**, but with my powers as unhelpful as they always were I couldn't do anything _useful_ like look into the future and see if Asuna or Yuuna would ever stop their arguments, or more importantly leave me alone and stop bringing so much attention. At least my classmates were starting to get used to seeing two of the most beautiful girls in the school eat lunch in my classroom.

It hadn't taken long for Yuuna's popularity to skyrocket, especially once people found out she was going to be an idol. Naturally, the fanclubs had sprung up almost instantly, and apparently one of the boys in my class was in charge of both of them. It wasn't like he'd said anything at all, of course. But when I can read the thoughts of everyone in the room without trying (really, it's more like the thoughts are deliberately, obnoxiously obtrusive, clamoring at me nonstop) it's not hard to figure out a lot of secrets.

Honestly, though, I didn't even mind my MC status that much. Being a main character had been such a pain so far, but it was all going to be worth it. Asuna and Yuuna passively arguing with each other in their thoughts couldn't even get me down, and I was even able to ignore the fact that I was **the world's most powerful psychic** for a little bit. Why? Why could I ignore the thoughts of the entire school barging their way into my head like the world's most intrusive guests? Why couldn't Asuna and Yuuna bothering me get me down?

Because all of this was finally going to be worth it. I was finally going to be rewarded for the universe taking a direct and probably malicious notice of me.

The beta of Sword Art Online began this afternoon at one! I wouldn't get to play until I got home, but that didn't matter. With that as my prize, I could put up with Asuna and Yuuna bickering over lunch. So all I did, while the girls smiled at each other and made idle comments that seemed innocuous and polite unless someone could hear their thoughts, was eat my food.

...

"You're kinda distracted today, Kazuto."

I glanced at Sugu. What was she talking about?

"I mean, you're barely listening to anything I say," Sugu replied. "We're already halfway home and you haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" _'Listen to me! Whatever's wrong, I'll help! If someone's being mean, I'll beat them up!'_

Wait, isn't that supposed to be _my_ job?

I'm not trying to ignore you, Sugu. I just can't wait to get home.

Sugu gasped. "Oh, that's right! It's that weird helmet thing of yours, right? What's it called... VerveTear, or something like that?"

NerveGear.

"Whatever. That thing." _'I can't believe he's so focused on that instead of me... But I love how focused he is when he's interested in something! Ahhh, Kazuto is just the best! I love you, I love you, I love you!'_

Well, at least she's not angry, or anything like that. It could be... a lot worse. I've only seen Angry Sugu a few times, and every time the only thing I can do is stay out of her way, despite all of my psychic powers. Even if I'm **the world's most powerful psychic**, there are some things I don't want to mess with.

When we got home, I didn't even bother to grab a snack before I headed up to my room and tossed my bag to the side of the room. I didn't have any homework due tomorrow, so I could play all night long! Hunger is for the weak. In all honesty, I probably don't need to eat, thanks to my abilities. Most of the time I wouldn't even think of skipping a meal, though. Sugu might get suspicious.

I double-checked my computer to make sure there weren't any emails before I picked up the grey helmet that sat on the bookshelf to my left. The ethernet cord clicked into the wall port and the helmet with a satisfying sound, and I made sure the SAO cartridge was in the helmet before I sat down on the bed and got comfortable. The chin strap secured the helmet in place and I laid back, staring up at the ceiling. I let out a small sigh, and then I said the words that would turn the game on:

"Link start!"

* * *

Instantly, the hum of the machine disappeared as the NerveGear turned on. In its place, the world turned white as colored bars streamed all around me. The NerveGear went through its calibration to make sure everything was working properly, and I did my best to not get irritated at how long it was taking. I didn't want a FullDive Non-Conformity to crop up - not that the AmuSphere had any issues, but this was new tech.

After all that was finished, I logged in with the account that I'd set up as soon as I received the copy of the game from Yuuna and selected one of the avatars I'd created after playing with the character customization in my browser. There were a few others I considered - all of them male, though one or two blurred the line a little - but in the end, if it's an RPG, the character has to be a cool guy, right? Naturally.

After that, the rest of the login process followed - and before I knew it, I was standing in the starting area of Sword Art Online.

Whoa... This was...

...Actually, it was exactly like I expected. What? It's hard to get excited for this, no matter how amazing it feels to be in a video game. The novelty wore off like, the second time I logged into ALfheim Online.

I had appeared in a large circular plaza with stone walls around me, like some sort of coliseum. There was a huge black palace directly in front of me but it didn't seem like it was anything interesting; I was more distracted by the lack of players spawning around me. I knew there were only one thousand beta testers, but the log-in area was almost empty. There were a few players entering and leaving, but nobody else was spawning in like I had.

This sucks! I was logging in late thanks to going to school. I bet the other players have already hogged all the best grinding spots.

Well, I'm not going to just stand around and complain. It's not like this is the _real_ world, after all. I rolled my shoulders and headed off for an exit to the plaza in the direction I could sense the most thoughts from. Because yes, of _course_ my powers worked, even in virtual reality. I could hear everybody's thoughts as if they were in school next to me. Since they wouldn't shut up, it was at least an easy way to figure out quests and good grinding spots. As it turned out, all I had to was take a left through the alley in front of me and I'd come out right in front of the main gate leading to the Boar Fields, where I could -

_'Ahh! He's already logged on! Oh no, I have to materialize before he leaves the Safe Zone!'_

The errant thought caught my attention for some reason like it had been targeted at me and I slowed from a jog to a walk, before I came to a halt entirely. Or maybe it was the shining light that had appeared in front of me that made me stop; it could be that as well. Either way, I stopped to watch the light show, wondering what was going on -

_'Okay, time for my entrance! You can do this!'_ Abruptly, the light shattered into blue polygons that floated up into the sky, like the monsters in ALO. It looked almost like an egg had hatched, because in its place a girl hovered in midair. She slowly descended to the ground, a soft light illuminating her, and I could only stare at her fluttering white sundress and the way her long black hair swayed as she moved.

Her feet touched the ground, and I stared at her as everything stopped moving. She was...

...really short. If I had to guess, her avatar looked like she was about eight or nine years old. The girl looked up at me and smiled. "Hello, Papa!"

...That's it. Alleys are cursed. The first time I walked down one after becoming a main character I met Asuna and had to deal with all _that_, and the second time I encountered this strange child that appeared out of nowhere. The only thing that makes any sense is that someone has a cruel sense of humor about alleys, of all things.

While I stared at her, the girl smiled and tilted her head. "It's nice to finally meet you. I am Mental Health Counseling Program Zero-Zero-One, but you can call me Yui, Papa." She bowed slightly.

There are so many things wrong with those sentences, but let's start at the beginning. Mental Health Counseling Program?

'Yui' clapped her hands together and cocked her head. This... is unfair, how is she so cute. "That's right. I'm a special type of NPC developed directly by the Cardinal engine that runs SAO. I have access to all the research capabilities Cardinal does, as well as specialized knowledge." She tilted her head. "Oh! You could consider me as similar to a navigation pixie, except with the power of friendship on my side, Papa!"

I... don't know what she's talking about when she's saying things like 'power of friendship'. It sounds like it's something troublesome already. And - Papa?!

Yui smiled. "Of course! Grandpa created me because of what you said to him, several years ago. And because of that, that means you're my Papa!"

I rubbed at the bridge of my nose. I didn't realize I could _get_ headaches in here, but here we are.

Yui?

"Yes?"

Please don't call me Papa. It's... weird, I just started high school.

Yui frowned, an adorable expression on her face - her nose wrinkled in thought. "Well, if I can't call you Papa... Big Brother?"

No! No. Absolutely not. I already have _one_ little sister, I don't need one in the virtual world as well.

"But all my research indicated that a young male your age would appreciate family ties the most!" Yui complained. "There were hundreds of weekly publications on the subject."

Hundreds of weekly - Yui, what were you researching?

Yui smiled and raised a finger. "Plenty of human works. There were television broadcasts dedicated to them every evening late at night, as well as weekly and monthly publications in printed form!"

I sighed. Of course. Why can't I have my peaceful life back?

"Is something wrong, Big Brother?"

Kirito... Please, call me Kirito. I could feel Sugu trembling with confused and misunderstood fury at the thought of someone else claiming the little sister spot. My brocon of a sister would probably have crushed a juice box for no reason. In fact, I could hear her thoughts complaining about wasting some perfectly good juice.

"Okay, Kirito!" Yui chirped. "That mode of address has been registered properly."

Small mercies, at least. But... Yui, have you been researching how to interact with me by watching anime and reading manga?

Yui nodded. "That's what they were called, yes! There was a wide variety of examples for me to study and learn. I'm looking forward to next week's publications of several series!" Her eyes sparkled with happiness, and I couldn't find it in me to break her heart and reveal that they were fictional. In the end, she's an AI, so she probably _knows_ that, right?

So, Kayaba made you, and... that means you're here talking to me, because...

"Because I'm designed solely to help you, Kirito!" Yui smiled again. "Grandpa made sure that I would be available. So, I made sure to research thoroughly about the types of abilities he said you had. There were plenty of series with similar situations, so I'm certain I will be able to help you out!"

Great... Well, I'm going to head out to fight boars.

Yui waved her hand over her head. "Kirito! I can help teach you how to play the game, if you'd like!"

I looked at the young girl. So, she's a tutorial NPC as well, huh? Well, I might as well take her up on her offer.

...

Haah!

I lunged forward in a perfect execution of the «Horizontal» Sword Skill and my glowing sword traced out a path that slashed straight through a Frenzy Boar's neck. It didn't have time to squeal before the critical hit drained the last of its HP and it shattered into blue polygons and floated away. I dismissed the rewards screen with a swipe of my hand and sheathed my sword.

"Congratulations, Papa!" Yui clapped her hands. I glanced at her, but didn't say anything. Even if I told her to call me Kirito, she'd obey for a minute or two then switch right back to calling me Papa. It seemed like it made her happy, though, so... whatever. "Let's go back to town and turn in the quests!"

One good thing about having Yui with me was that she knew where to find a lot of the quest-givers. So, I'd been able to be extra efficient in my grinding; just a single trip out to the boar fields, and I pretty sure I could leave the intro area for the nearest town.

As we walked through town and turned in quests to the NPCs along the way, Yui looked up at me. "Papa, are you having fun?"

Yeah, of course I am. I could definitely do without having to listen to the thoughts of guys hitting on 'girls' (because for every girl in the game, there were two or three guys playing avatars of the other gender), but it was... good to be able to swing a sword again.

"Again?" Yui cocked her head to the side.

Yeah. I played ALfheim Online, and Gun Gale, but they didn't feel like this. The NerveGear was so much more powerful than the AmuSphere, and there was an accompanying increase in the level of realism. Swinging my sword here... I looked at my hand and clenched a fist. I don't have to worry about my strength breaking everything if I swing a sword too hard.

Yui smiled. "I'm glad! There were plenty of contingencies I'd planned if the calibration hadn't worked right away. Did you know, Aincrad can simulate extra weight in clothes? And if that didn't work, we could always try something else!"

That's not how that works, Yui. Adding training weight wouldn't have changed a thing.

"Aww, really? I can't believe it, did the manga lie to me?!"

I shook my head. This child is going to be the death of me, probably. Though really, should I have expected anything different? I was the MC of this story, so of course I was going to be surrounded by crazy people. I shouldn't have expected anything less.

But really, SAO was amazing. It was so realistic to be lifelike, and I didn't have to put up with too many people's thoughts! It was... it was like -

_'Uwaaah~! I can't believe Kazuto forgot to lock his door before he put on his NerveGear and logged in! He was really looking forward to it... But now, that means I get to cuddle up next to him and nobody will know!'_

\- this was a huge, huge mistake. Sugu's thoughts were coming from right next to my defenseless body, so who _knows_ what she could do?

_'Haah, just getting to sit here on Kazuto's bed is the best! And his pillow smells so good! Kyaa, I wonder if I'd get in trouble if I just - No way, I can't~!'_

...Why is my sister the most troublesome girl? At least she still has _some_ shred of self-control, though the images I can see in her mind are anything but the sweet, innocent facade she puts up. But really, this was just a giant pain in the ass, wasn't it...

I sighed heavily. Well, I could trust Sugu not to do anything, really. I could hear her thoughts, after all, and she wasn't planning on taking advantage of my motionless body.

_'He's open! Pounce in three... two... one!'_

I stepped to the side just as a body lunged out from the alleys, arms spread out to grab me. The player stumbled to a halt and whirled to face me - no, not a player. She didn't have the player cursor over her head.

"Hey, no fair!" She planted her hands on her hips. "You're not supposed to dodge! Yui, I thought you said Kirito just started playing today!'

"He did, Strea," Yui said. "But you remember the data I gave you, right? Of _course_ he'd be able to sense you coming from a mile away."

"Aww, but I wanted to give him a hug as a 'Welcome to the game' present!"

Um... Who are you?

The girl giggled and grinned. Now that she wasn't trying to (apparently) tackle-hug me, I could get a better look at her. She was wearing some... pretty revealing clothing, like a purple waistcoat that revealed most of her chest and shoulders, and some stockings that left most of her thighs visible. Overall, it served to make her assets really obvious. H-Her equipment, I mean! Totally just her equipment, I wasn't staring at all. I was just looking at the greatsword hanging on her back and the two moles on her left - Just the sword! "I'm Mental Health Counseling Program Zero-Zero-Two, but you can call me Strea, Hug-Master Supreme!"

Hug-Master... what?

"Hug-Master Supreme! Like this!" _'Now, before he can react, I just have to jump him and wrap my arms around him, and then tug him into a hug! And it'll be warm and he'll love it!'_

Unlike Asuna, Strea wasn't fast enough to have her thoughts not give away her next action, so I was able to get my hand up before the lavender-haired girl could jump forward and try to wrap me in a huge hug. She'd even imagined it and everything. So, naturally, her face squished against my raised hand, my palm pressing into her cheek.

"Awwh, whyyy?" Strea whined, even as she kept trying for the hug. "I wanna hug you~!"

Because I'm still confused by what's going on. I'm guessing that since you're Mental Health Counseling Program Zero-Zero-Two, you're an AI just like Yui?"

"Yep!" Strea nodded. It didn't stop her from pushing against my hand. She was even walking in place.

"Since Strea was created after me, she's like my little sister," Yui told me. Her chest puffed up. "That means I'm the big sister, too."

'Big' sister, huh? I glanced back and forth between the two of them. Strea is a chatterbox where Yui is more quiet, and Yui is... less grown in places Strea is. Yeah, uh huh. 'Big' sister indeed.

Yui puffed her cheeks out in irritation. "I _am_!" she insisted. "It doesn't matter what the avatars look like, I'm older."

"It's okay, I think of you as my big sister," Strea said. She sounded pretty sincere, and when I reflexively checked her thoughts, she was. _'I love Yui! She's such a great big sister!'_

Yui blinked and then coughed. "I, um. Thank you, Strea, that means a lot."

"No problem!" Then, Strea seems to realize that she still hadn't managed to get past my hand and gave up, folding her arms under her - across her chest with a pout. "So stingy! Yui, Kirito won't give me a hug."

Yui shook her head. "Give it time, Strea, he'll open up sooner or later."

"Okaaay~"

I shook my head. I'm starting to wonder if it would be better to log out and face my embarrassed sister instead of sitting here with these crazy AIs...

...

I played SAO for a few more hours until I started making simple mistakes. As it turned out, fighting for my life meant that I got pretty tired, even if it wasn't real and dying would just mean restarting back in the Town of Beginnings. Strea covered for me a lot of the time, but despite her eternally happy protests to the contrary, I could see she was starting to get a little tired herself. I didn't know AIs could get tired, but she yawned every now and then. I had to give Kayaba some credit, Yui and Strea were super realistic.

As soon as we made it to the next town, I stretched and yawned. I'm going to log out pretty soon.

"Aww," Strea whined. "But I'll miss you!"

Too bad. I need to eat something, and go to bed. I have school tomorrow.

"School?" Strea tapped her lips with a slender finger before she smiled. "That sounds like fun. I hope you enjoy it, Kirito!"

Yeah, right. I doubt I will. Though going to school _did_ mean I got sandwiches, so it wasn't all bad.

Yui waved. "Good bye, Papa! I'll see you tomorrow?"

Probably.

"Night, Kirito~." Despite an enthusiastic wave that shook her _entire_ body, Strea didn't go for another hug, which was downright restrained for her. "See you later!"

When I logged out after renting a room in the inn, I stared at the ceiling for a second before I sat up and carefully took the NerveGear off. That was... really amazing! It was on a whole different level from ALO and GGO in how realistic it was. And Yui and Strea were so lifelike. If all of this was his doing, then Kayaba does deserve the title of genius.

I noted idly that my bed was still warm, and my pillow had the faint scent of Sugu's shampoo; she must have just snuck out of the bed a few minutes ago. Good timing on her part, I guess. Either way, a quick check of her thoughts told me she was in her room, so I was safe to head downstairs. As soon as I entered the kitchen, I saw a plate of food covered with plastic wrap; it was cool, so it'd been sitting there for a while, but nothing a quick microwaving wouldn't fix.

There was a note on it, and I read it while the microwave hummed, heating my food. 'I know you're playing your game, so I made some dinner for you. -Sugu' Aww. Thanks, Sugu.

_'...I feel like Kazuto just praised me! Hooray! Today was already a good day, but now it's even better!'_

* * *

**May 8th, 2025**

Everything I'd heard about the start of the Elf War quest said it was an unwinnable battle. No matter which side I'd picked, the other elf warrior was way too strong. Once it became an enemy instead of a flag mob, its cursor was nearly pitch black. No matter how many players were in the party, they would lose health until the elf they helped out would use a suicide move and save them at the cost of their own life, starting the quest. That's how every forum post described the start of the Elf War sidequest.

So... What the heck is this?!

"Kirito!" Strea chirped, even as her greatsword parried the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight's curved blade again. I knew mobs couldn't show emotion, but somehow this blond-haired pretty boy elf seemed frustrated. "Do you want to win this fight?"

Um... Sure?

"Papa, Strea has the ability to power up her stats," Yui said. "If you use that, you can beat the Forest Elven Hallowed Knight without triggering the flag!"

Wait, she can?! That seems like a really busted Skill.

"It's not a Skill, it's something innate to Strea," the black-haired girl said. "When I gave her the data regarding your abilities, I was able to make some modifications to her program. Now, mucosal contact will give her a one-time permanent boost to all of her stats, as well as a temporary buff whenever it happens again!"

Mucosal contact...?

"Whatever you're planning to do, adventurer, you'd best do it quickly! Time grows short, and I fear your comrade cannot hold her own against the might of the Forest Elf for long!"

I looked over at the other member of the party, the one who'd just spoken up. She was standing near the tree, carefully guarding Yui with a drawn longsword. With short, smoky purple hair and tanned skin, she was inhumanly beautiful even before looking at the pointed ears, or the curve in her breastplate that signaled that this Dark Elf was female. I'd chosen to help her out -

Shut up, it's not because she's a beautiful woman. It's _not_. I've, uh, just heard that the Dark Elf path is more interesting than the Forest Elf path! That's all!

E-Either way, if we were going to try to save her, then I had to give Strea this special power-up or we weren't going to make it. Miss Elf! Can you hold off the enemy?

"I swear, upon my honor as a Pagoda Knight, I shall earn you the time you request," the Dark Elven Royal Guard replied. With a shout, she dashed forward and swung her sword at her Forest Elf counterpart, and the two elite mobs started fighting again.

Okay, Yui. What do I have to do to give Strea the boost?

"I told you, Papa. Mucosal contact!"

And what is - mmmph?!

Strea, once she'd been relieved of blocking duties, had come up to me and without hesitation pressed her lips to mine. Despite being kissed, I could still hear her thoughts: _'Oh wow, this is really nice! I should do this more often!'_

A brilliant light emerged from her back as a pair of lavender-colored wings matching her hair stretched out. They were translucent and fairy-like, and disappeared after a second, leaving an afterimage in the twilight.

"Thanks, Kirito!" Strea said, before she turned around and drew her sword. Stunned, I just sat back and watched as she started swinging her sword at the Forest Elf, dealing huge chunks of damage with every slash that landed.

What is this? What is happening?! Why did Strea need to kiss me to have this happen? What is going on?

"Congratulations, Strea!" Yui called out. "I'm happy for you!"

Yui, Yui what is going on.

"It's like..." Yui tapped her cheek, then smiled widely. "It's like when two birds bond! Only when you kiss Strea, she'll get super powerful!"

...Why do these things always happen to me?

"Kirito! Yui! I'm done!"

I looked over to see Strea waving her hand wildly over her head as the Forest Elf collapsed to the ground. "This... can't be happening," the mob muttered.

Seriously, I have no idea what's even going on anymore. This breaks everything I'd heard about the quest so far...

The dark elf knight turned to look at me, her black eyes filled with confusion - and then suddenly I heard her thoughts. _'So, this young adventurer and his two companions saved my life...'_ "I thank you for your assistance," she said out loud, pressing a fist to her chest and bowing. It looked like some sort of formal salute. "Without your help, both the Jade Key and my life would surely have been stolen from me."

Uh... Yeah, sure, no problem...

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kizmel, a member of the Pagoda Knights." She smiled at me. "For one so young, you are very brave."

I shook my head. I'm Kirito, and this is Strea. The young girl is Yui.

Kizmel cocked her head slightly. "Your human names are so difficult to pronounce... Kiri-to? Su-trea? Is that right?"

Oh, right. Some NPCs could learn to pronounce human names. But her pronunciation was a little bit off, so I repeated myself. Kirito, and Strea.

"Kirito, and Strea." That time it was right, and I nodded. "Again, I must thank you for saving my life."

Part of me wanted to say to her, 'Shouldn't you be dead?' but she was an AI. She wouldn't understand anything like that. Instead, I took note of the glowing ? mark over her head. It didn't look like the quest had gotten interrupted or anything like that, so we could still progress. Maybe Cardinal was automatically fixing things? But if that were the case, why did Yui look so satisfied with herself?

_'I can't believe everything is going according to plan so quickly!'_ Oh. Because she wanted this exact thing to happen, for some reason. I gave her a stern look and she just smiled innocently at me. _'Is something wrong, Papa?'_

...No, nothing's wrong.

"What tha heck did ya DO?!" I jumped from the voice behind me. How did - Oh, because I was focusing on Yui, I'd missed the thoughts of the girl that had snuck up behind us. When I turned around to look at her, I turned into having a finger prod at my chest. "Seriously! Ya gotta tell me, I'll pay anythin' ta figure out what's goin' on with ya."

I stared at her as she poked me again. The player was on the shorter side, the top of her head coming up to my nose or so, but I couldn't see much of her face or body since she was wearing a cloak that hid almost all of her avatar's appearance. Uh... Who are you?

"Right, right, sorry, forgot m' manners." The girl gave me a wink and stepped away before she spread her arms and took a bow. "Th' name's Argo. I'm aimin' ta be an info broker in this game."

I guess it's nice to meet you? But what's an info broker?

Argo grinned. I got the strange feeling it heralded a long, long time of those grins being aimed my direction. "Oh? Ya don't know? Well then, let Big Sis Argo teach ya." Big Sis...? "An' since I'm feelin' generous, I'll even teach ya fer free. What's th' most important thing 'bout this game? Whether it's fightin' mobs, grindin' fer col or drops, or even fightin' other players?"

"Love!" Strea exclaimed.

Argo blinked. "I, uh..." She trailed off and then shook her head. "Actually, it's info!"

"Aww..."

"If ya know th' best place ta get col, ya get better armor an' weapons from th' shops." Argo waved a hand. "If ya know where ta find quests, then ya get better col rewards. An' if ya need ta find quests, well... lil' ol' me has th' answers, if ya have the col ta pay for it."

Oh, I see. And so you want to know what happened here, right?

"Ooh, strong _and_ smart, yer a keeper." Argo smirked at me. "See, players have been talkin' 'bout some guy in black who's been goin' around in a party 'a two, him an' this hot gal. Thing is, he's got this kid with 'im, an' ya know how gamers can get." Yeah, she has a point. Nothing travels faster in a game than a rumor that two players are dating. Add in Yui to the mix, and even though I've only been playing for a few days, a few hours at a time, I could already hear the thoughts of players every time Strea and I went back to town:

_'Can't believe this guy, walking around with his girlfriend!' 'Normies should go explode.' 'Wait, do they have a KID?!'_

So, you were following me to see what the rumors were all about?

"Yep," Argo said shamelessly. Shouldn't that be something you deny? "But I didn't expect ta find a jackpot 'a new info!" She dashed up close to me again, eyes sparkling. "So what was that with yer girlfriend? What'd ya do? How'd ya do that neat wing thing, was it a special Skill? An' this's the first time I've ever heard 'a someone killin' the flag mob in the intro to th' Elf War questline, this's huge -"

"Er, excuse me?" Argo and I turned to look at Kizmel. The beautiful elven warrior seemed to shift in place. "If you could accompany me? I need to return to my camp and inform the commander of this battle. I'm sure he will reward you for your help."

"Sure!" Argo said without missing a beat, linking her arms around mine. "We'd love ta go visit yer camp." _'This's gonna sell for a lot! I bet I can get 1k... No, more! 5k at the very least!' _"Psst. Lemme in yer party, I want in on this. I'll pay ya fer this, don't worry." A party join request appeared in my vision. When I glanced at Strea she just shrugged, so I tapped the button. Argo's HP bar appeared under Strea's in the corner of my vision. "Thankies~!"

Kizmel watched us for a second. _'The hooded girl... Is she their friend? She seems to be friendly with them...'_ "Let us go, then."

The trip to the Dark Elf camp was really simple, with Kizmel leading the way. _'So this is the power of a flag mob turned NPC, huh? I can't wait to get Kii-boy alone and grill him for everything he's worth!'_ Of course, Argo's running mental commentary didn't stop once. _'And the kid they're with is keeping up just fine. Wonder why she and Purple Hair doesn't have a cursor? Maybe a glitch? But this game doesn't _do_ glitches, not really... Wonder if he'd sell me that info too? I'll ask him after we get the next quest.'_

As for the questline itself, if Argo's thoughts were anything to go by, it played out exactly like it should. _'This is unfair...! I wanted to see cool new stuff.'_

When we emerged from the commander's tent, though, Kizmel approached us. "Kirito, Strea, Argo, allow me to assist you in any tasks that I can," she said. "I owe you a great deal for saving me, and I would hate to leave the debt unpaid."

"Oh yeah? That's pretty nice," Argo said before I could react. "But we're kinda tired, so would ya mind...?"

"Certainly," Kizmel said with a smile. "I can return you to your human towns with a charm, if you wish. Or you could spend the night in my tent.

Argo's smile widened. "We'll gladly accept yer hospitality." I glanced at her, and she snickered. "Nya hah hah! C'mon, it's gettin' time fer dinner. We'll take a break, then ya can explain everythin'."

Well, that's fine. I was supposed to cook dinner anyway.

Kizmel led us to her tent and held the flap open to allow us to enter. It was a really nice tent, and I looked around in interest. Furs covered the floor and there was a single heater in the center of the tent that provided enough light to cast a warm glow over everything. Other than that, the fabric of the tent was thick and warm, blocking out sound from the rest of the camp.

Argo immediately flopped down on one of the skins and rolled around. "Yep, just as comfy as last time," she said. "I'm gonna log out, so don't do anything creepy, got it?"

I'm logging out myself.

"Nya hah hah! See ya in a bit, then."

_'Yay! I get to sleep in a bed with Kirito!'_

I glanced at Strea, but she didn't seem to be ashamed of her thoughts in the slightest. With a sigh, I just sat down on the fur on the other side of the tent and opened my menu to log out.

* * *

**May 28th, 2025**

I opened my eyes in the virtual world and tried to sit up. Well, _tried_. Instead, I was able to wiggle my fingers and toes or so. This wasn't an unusual occurrence either, so I just sighed.

Strea, let me go.

"Oh, you're awake!" The body hugging me moved away. Strea sat up from the bed and rubbed her eyes before she yawned. "Good morning, Kirito!"

You're an AI, you don't have to - oh, whatever. I didn't even bother trying to sit up again. Kizmel? Can you let me go please?

The body _behind_ me shifted as the dark elven warrior sat up in bed as well. "Fwah... Good morning, Kirito..." As usual, she was incredibly defenseless when I logged after a long day of school. Both girls were just wearing skimpy nightgowns, too! Kayaba, include actual pajamas in your game! And why are they wearing nightgowns in the first place?! They are AIs, they can just wear regular clothes because they don't need to sleep!

The first time I'd used the elf's tent, three weeks ago, I'd logged back in to find Kizmel curled up on the furs behind me with her arms around my body. That was the _first_ time I'd encountered her particular clinginess, and she didn't seem to see anything wrong with that! Strea and Yui weren't any help either. Strea just complained that _she_ didn't get to sleep next to me, and Yui seemed ecstatic that I was getting along so well with everyone else. Argo, on the other hand, had just snickered at my plight when I told her.

It hadn't ended after I finished the quests either. The quest-chain stretched all the way to the tenth Floor - and maybe beyond, we hadn't cleared it yet. What that meant to me was that once I found or was shown the way to the Elf War quest on every floor, I ended up with Strea on one side and Kizmel on the other of me. It was a little irritating, when I wanted to get straight to grinding quests and -

...What? I'm not saying I didn't _like_ it... I'm still a teenage guy, after all. Kizmel just had no sense of proper distance between us, and Strea was... huggy. She'd happily hug Yui and Kizmel just as soon as she'd go after me. Argo suffered through her hugs once or twice, though the info broker had quickly picked up when to get away from the lavender-haired girl's hug range.

"Kirito?" Strea asked, running her fingers through her hair. She and Kizmel had switched back to their regular equipment, and Yui was standing happily by the inn room door. "Are you ready?"

Yeah, let's go.

I'd deliberately waited to turn in the final bit of the Elf War quest until the final day of the beta. It was only lasting four weeks, and, well, I don't know. It just felt right, turning in the final quest of the story and getting my reward from the Dark Elf's queen on the final day I could play SAO for a while.

Not that I'm accepting my role as an MC! Not at all!

...

"Ya ready ta say g'bye ta this place?"

Argo and I sat on the edge of a building in the Safe Zone, staring into the distance. The sun was setting in the distance (because of _course_ it was) and turning the sky a brilliant orange.

Not really. But the beta ends today.

"Nya hah hah! Said goodbye ta Kiz-chan an' all yer other friends?"

I patted the handle of the Queen's Kingsword sheathed on my back. I did.

Kizmel had faced me and placed a fist on her chest before she bowed. 'I have the strangest feeling that I will not see you again, Kirito', she'd told me. 'But I will never forget you. I will hold you in my heart forever.' It had been... kinda touching.

"Shouldn't 'a taken ya too long ta say goodbye ta all two of 'em, so guess yer done." Hey. "Nya hah hah! Well, I figure it's a good 'nough time fer th' game ta end. Gotta finish packin' an' all that," Argo sighed as she leaned back on the roof and stared up at the sky. I looked at her. _'Getting used to a new school is gonna be tough...'_

Packing?

"Yep. 'Bout time fer me ta 'get out on m' own an' experience high school', accordin' ta my parents." Argo rolled over onto her stomach, legs kicking idly in the air, and snorted. "Gonna be startin' at the new place in a few days, but I managed ta convince 'em ta give me this month. Mainly so's I could play this, but hey, whatcha gonna do, right?"

Hmm... So, Argo is transferring schools? And since she'd found reason after reason to come bother me without a shred of hesitation or remorse, I had been able to read enough of her surface thoughts to know that she was a girl near my age. It really was so arbitrarily convenient that people's mental voices sounded exactly like their real voice, in cases like this.

In the end, I was depressingly aware enough of my status in this story to know that my school was getting a new transfer student in the upcoming week. There was nothing I could do to stop it, either. It wasn't like [FATE] existed or something like that. I should know. I checked to see if it had some sort of phsyical form so I could kick it in the groin, but unfortunately I came up with nothing.

Argo opened her mouth to say something else when someone called out, "Miss Argo! There you are!"

Argo's head whipped around, her hood falling back with the motion to reveal her brown curls and painted whiskers. "Crap! They found me!" _'Oh come on, they just won't leave me alone!'_

This was in the Safe Zone section of the floor, so I didn't normally care about what was going on, but Argo's mental voice was exasperated enough that I turned around to look. Two players had just clambered up to the roof; they were dressed in dark grey clothing with light chainmail on top. Matching scimitars hung on their hips, and bandanas and pirate masks finished their look.

Oh. Great. Ninja cosplayers.

"We will not back down today," the first man declared.

"That Extra Skill is necessary for us to complete our builds! As today is the last possible day to unlock it, we will pay any price you demand!"

Argo clicked her tongue and planted her hands on her hips. "I told ya once, I told ya again, an' I'm not gonna change my decision! I'm not sellin' that info, no matter the price! Now scram!"

"You don't understand, we must -"

Hey. She said she's not selling it, so take the hint and back off.

The two ninja wannabes' eyes turned to me. "Are you going to fight us for it?" the second man demanded.

Ugh... I'm still getting dragged into things no matter what, huh? In that case... I patted the handle of the new sword I'd just received. I need to try this out, so you'll do.

"Dog!" the first man exclaimed, swiping open his menu and sending me a duel request. I accepted it without hesitation. "You will pay for your insolence!"

It didn't even take half of the minute we get to fight. I may hate my powers, but being able to read my opponent's mind and know exactly where they were going to dodge, and when they were going to attack? It really made things trivial. My very first attack ignored his feint before Isuke (the ninja guy) jumped back, straight into the Horizontal I unleashed that nearly cut him in half.

After killing the first guy, I looked at his partner - and the second ninja bolted without any other motion.

"Nya hah hah!" Argo laughed as I sheathed my sword. "Idiots. Ninjas aren't even real, an' they're tryin' ta make a build around them?" She shook her head. "Ya looked pretty cool out there, Kii-boy. Tryin' ta impress a gal 'fore the beta shuts down?"

I just wanted to test my sword.

"Uh huh, yeah, sure, I believe that." Argo sighed. "Sorry ta drag ya into my messes, Kii-boy. But... thanks fer helpin' me out. It was really neat 'a ya."

Don't worry about it.

Argo shifted her weight. "Hey... Kii-boy? You wanna... meet up, in the real game? An' party together, fer ol' times sake?"

I think... yeah, that'd be -

"Yoohoo, Kirito!" I jumped and spun. Strea had just finished climbing up onto the roof. As I watched, Yui's head popped up over the side as well before Strea leaned down to help her 'big' sister up. Argo let out a quiet squeak as the two girls approached us. "Ehh? Is something wrong, Argo? You look kinda red, did you get sick?"

"No!" Argo said quickly, before she turned to me. "See ya later, Kii-boy! Can't wait for the full game to come out, see ya, bye!"

Before I could do more than raise my hand in farewell, she hopped off the roof and tugged her hood over her head. She turned to look at me before she ran off, disappearing into the crowd.

Huh. I wonder if she had another client to go see? It didn't make much sense to be buying info about a game that was literally going to stop working in a few hours, but those ninjas had tracked her down... I'd check her thoughts, but Argo's thoughts matched her moniker, always scurrying about. Even though I could tune in, I wouldn't hear anything about what had just happened.

"Aww, she had to leave really suddenly," Strea sighed. "I wanted to give her a goodbye hug!"

Maybe it's a good thing Argo left...

_'That's okay, I'll just give Kirito an extra-long hug to make up for it!'_ When Strea pounced, I was already dodging out of the way, and she missed me. "No fair!" she complained. "How can I hug you if you keep reading my mind?"

Funny how that works out. But... I guess I'll miss you two.

"Don't worry, Papa!" Yui said. She gave me a cheerful smile. "I made sure to ask Grandpa to back up our data in an external location! The updates to Cardinal shouldn't affect us at all, but even if they do, we'll be right back as soon as you log in!"

Well, in that case... See you later.

"Bye bye, Kirito! I'll be sure to save up some hugs for you!" _'Ahh... I'm going to miss him so much!'_

"Bye, Papa!"

* * *

**June 1st, 2025**

"Kazuto, we won't have time to eat if you're not down soon!"

I sighed. I'm coming, Sugu! I'd be down faster if she would stop waiting in the hallway to 'accidentally' run into me after getting out of the shower...

Sugu had been acting a little bit more normal, these last few weeks - though after that first day, I made sure to always look my door (which made her complain a lot in her mind when she tried to sneak into my room again). Maybe if I spent more time with her at home, she'd be better?

...No way, what am I thinking? My brocon of a sister would never be satisfied.

After I ate a quick breakfast we grabbed our bags and headed out - only for Sugu to stop short in the doorway, nearly making me run into her. Sugu, what...

_'Oh! They're here!'_ "Hello there, Kazuto, Suguha," Asuna said with a sweet smile and a wave. "Ready to go to school?"

"Kazuto, what is she doing here?!" Sugu hissed at me under her breath even while she waved back to Asuna.

I'm wondering that myself. How come you're walking with us, Asuna?

"I woke up a little early and decided I would come walk with you today," Asuna said as if that explained everything. "Besides, you've been a little distracted in school thanks to that SAO game."

Fine, fine. Let's just go before we're late.

At first we were walking down the street pretty normally, with Sugu on my left and Asuna on my right - and then at some point, Sugu swapped sides for some reason or another until she was between me and Asuna. "So, Asuna, I hope my big brother hasn't been giving you too much trouble..." _'I can't let her get too close, or she'll seduce Kazuto with how nice she is!'_

"Oh, no, not at all. If anything, I'm the one troubling him." _'What an adorable little sister Kazuto has! Though... some things in life just aren't _fair_!'_

Sometimes I wish I didn't have to hear the second half of people's conversations. Things would be so much simpler. If I couldn't hear their thoughts, I wouldn't have to hear Sugu's constant obsession with me, or Asuna's complaints about her chest, or the girl rapidly approaching, or -

Wait, what?

"Finally, found you!"

Asuna stopped. "Rika...?"

Asuna's brown-haired best friend, Rika Shinozaki, stopped in front of the three of us and leveled an accusing finger at me. "Kazuto Kirigaya, I challenge you to a duel!"

* * *

**A duel?!**

**Anyway, despite the changes to the story from last character, SAO still exists and has finally reached the beta stage! Unfortunately for Kazuto, he doesn't get much of a break even there; Strea is the Hug Master, and Yui is obsessed with anime and manga. Plus, there's Kizmel. Lewd elf gonna lewd. ****I also finally got around to introducing Argo, even though she's just acting as a minor character for now.**

**Let's talk about powers instead! Because the game has to be programmed in certain ways, it can't really properly mimic his psychic powers. That's why Kazuto loves playing the game so much! Even if he accidentally leaves his door unlocked from time to time... Oh well. It made Sugu happy, so that's good, right?**

**I briefly mentioned her, but let's talk about Strea. She's a Mental Health AI just like Yui, and is a Gameverse original character. She uses a greatsword to fight, and... well, go look at her character design for really everything you need to know about Strea. In this story, Strea, for those wondering, has certain abilities loosely based off of Sekirei. It's an interesting series to read, though I'd recommend the manga over the anime. There's a lot of reasons for giving her the abilities, but mostly because I thought it was funny.**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed!**


	4. Burning with Passion!

**Pre-chapter author's note:**

**Hi! It seems many of my readers are complaining that they can't tell when Kazuto is talking because he doesn't have quote marks around his sentences. Let me see if I can make a quick statement on this subject.**

***taps mic, leans in* Learn to read context clues, you whiners.**

**Now that may sound harsh, but there's a pretty easy way to tell if he's talking to someone: Try paying attention to the story and see if it makes sense that he said something out loud. I will not be changing how I'm handling Kazuto's dialogue/shrugs/methods of communication. How dare I ask you to think, I know.**

**Great! Now that that's all handled, on to the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Burning with Passion! Or, Energetic Girls are Exhausting**

* * *

**June 1st, 2025**

Rika Shinozaki was bar none the most energetic person in the entire high school. Honestly, she was probably the most energetic person in the whole city. 'Why walk when you can run, and why run when you can sprint?' wasn't her motto, but probably should have been. Everyone at school knew her, mainly because she was constantly running around the halls during the day. Asuna might have been more popular with everyone (according to the thoughts and the membership numbers of her unnoficial fan club) but Rika had a small dedicated following, mostly among the boy and girl athletic clubs. She was the kind of person that would put 110% effort into whatever she was doing, and then when someone pointed out that wasn't possible she'd laugh it off and say she's just bad at math.

She was pretty enough, with freckles and her bangs pinned out of her face with two clips, and I knew a couple boys (and a girl or two, not that I judged) had a crush on her, but she was way too energetic and active for my tastes.

Look, the point here is, I knew who she was, mainly by being forced to listen to everyone thinking about Rika Shinozaki. That didn't, however, explain why she had run up to us on the way to school, leveled a finger at me, and exclaimed, "Kazuto Kirigaya! I challenge you to a duel!"

I stared at Rika for a long second, and kept walking to school.

"Wha- Hey! You can't just keep walking away!" Rika pointed a finger at me. "Answer my challenge, dang it!"

"Hey, wait up!" Sugu raced to catch up with me. _'Eheheh! I knew he'd prefer to walk with me and not those other girls!'_

_'Somehow, this feels strangely familiar...'_ Asuna giggled weakly. "I'll see you at school, Rika. I hope you did the homework."

"Ack! Shoot shoot shoot, I forgot! Asuna, can I copy yours..."

_'I guess I'll see Kazuto later, then.'_ "Why are you like this, Rika..."

"Sorry, sorry! I promise, I'll do it next time." _'Urgh... Fine! Our duel will have to wait! But I'm not giving up!'_

I'd really prefer that she did, all things considered. What's wrong, world? Was one month of peace and quiet too much for you? It wasn't even all that peaceful or quiet, either! I still had to deal with the hugging whirlwind known as Strea, and _everything_ that was Kizmel. I may be **the world's most powerful psychic**, but I need some downtime!

I sighed as I walked into class and sat down. Things just can't be easy, can they? The girl to my right glanced at me before she went back to writing her own homework. _'I have to concentrate...!'_ Whatever. Her homework wasn't my problem.

What _was_ my problem was the constant pressure of Rika's thoughts. It was like the girl just never sat still, even in her mind! _'I'm so glad Asuna let me copy her homework again. She's the best! ...So why is she hanging out with that first-year? Argh, I just don't see it! But I can't believe he just walked past me. Is he a man or isn't he?!'_ Seriously, so annoying. _'I'll just have to go find him at lunch time!'_

Please don't. This room literally can't fit more people at this desk. Yuuna's pushing the limits as it is.

The one single upside to this whole situation was that Rika needed to focus on her classwork instead of having the free time to think about me non-stop like Asuna had. I might be able to read my teachers' minds to know what the lessons are all about, but it's still a lot easier to listen to the lectures in class.

...

When lunchtime finally rolled around, I got up from my seat. Naturally, people started whispering about _that_. "Isn't he waiting for Asuna?" "Did she dump him or something?" "Were they even going out?" _'Did I miss my chance to invite him to the Yuuna Shigemura fanclub?!'_ "I thought he was going out with that third year."

_'Kazuto? Sorry, but I'm going to be busy during lunch today.'_ I blinked when Yuuna's mental voice popped up. _'I'm super sorry! I'll definitely walk home with you to make up for it!'_ No, you really don't need to do that. Sugu might throw a fit. _'I'll see you later, bye!'_

Huh. Wonder what's keeping her busy, that she won't be down to visit? She hasn't missed a day before now. Well... Yuuna wouldn't mind if I listened in on her thoughts, right? She knows I can't _really_ control my powers like that, so...

_'Where is she...? Oh! There she is! She's the -'_

"Kazuto Kirigaya!"

I jumped at the voice that suddenly filled the hallway. Rika had finally made her grand appearance, shouting from the other end of the hallway! Though, really, what else did I expect? That was the whole reason I'd left the classroom in the first place, so I didn't have to deal with all of this in front of people from my class. Now, if only my powers had somehow given me the warning that this was going to happen at all today, instead of being as frustratingly useless as ever-!

"I'm really sorry about this, Kazuto," Asuna said with a smile as she and Rika approached me. "But Rika insisted on getting the chance to talk to you at lunchtime." I just shrugged. "So! In order to not bother people, why don't we go up to the roof? It's a nice day, after all, so we can eat before you two talk."

"What?! No way!" Rika exclaimed. She leveled a finger at me. "I have to challenge him right here and right now, before he -"

"Rika," Asuna said. Her tone was sweetness and light, and even if I couldn't read Rika's thoughts (_'Oh crap oh crap oh crap, Asuna's scary when she's mad!'_) I'd know that it wouldn't be a good idea to refuse her. "Let's go eat lunch first, yes?"

"Y-Yeah, sure thing, Asuna!"

I sighed. Of course we were going to go eat on the roof. It was inevitable, really. If anything, I'm surprised it took _this_ long for whichever hack was writing this story to get around to forcing me up there. It didn't help that on our way up to the roof, every student in the hall was staring at us. _'Is that the Princess?' 'That's the guy that always hangs out with her...' 'Shinozaki looks angry, is it an argument? A love triangle?!' _How could this be a love triangle?!

The rooftop of our school had a waist-high fence around it for safety purposes, but other than that it was pretty plain. When Asuna, Rika and I stepped out of the stairwell, it was empty; now that it was June and it was getting warmer, it would start filling up with groups of students that wanted to eat together but didn't like the cafeteria very much. In other words, it was perfect for the dramatic confrontation between me and Rika.

That was a sentiment the brown-haired girl clearly shared, because as soon as the door swung shut behind us she took a few steps forward and then spun around dramatically. "Kazuto Kirigaya!" she declared. I wonder if people down in the courtyard could hear her? I hope not, that would be embarrassing. "I challenge you to a -"

"Rika, Kazuto," Asuna said as she knelt down to spread out a cloth for them to sit on. "Let's eat first, okay?"

...Sure, I guess. Eating first was just delaying the inevitable, after all. At least this way, I'd be able to deal with Rika on a stomach full of Asuna's sandwiches.

"Coming, Asuna!" Rika called out before she ran over to help Asuna spread it out. Seriously, she didn't do anything at a regular pace. Even the whole way here, she was power-walking. "Hurry up, let's eat!"

Like usual, Asuna had a few sandwiches to give me to go with my lunch that Sugu insisted on making for me, so I sat down next to Asuna. Rika fell into a seated position naturally, drumming her fingers on her lunchbox. _'Come on, hurry up, I want to get eating! I'm hungry!'_ But if you were hungry, why would you challenge... Oh, whatever.

My lunch that day was a nutritious blend of vegetables, rice, and even some rolled omelette that Sugu must have prepared. She'd been getting on my case about eating more veggies lately, so I'd been expecting something like this. Asuna's sandwiches were amazing like always - though as I chewed my first few bites, there was something slightly different about them.

Asuna leaned over. "Do you like them, Kazuto?" I nodded. "Oh, that's good." She sat back and let out a sigh of relief. "I tried out a slightly different sauce for the chicken this time, so I wasn't sure if you'd like them better. What do you think?"

They're really great.

"That's great!" Asuna smiled at me as I swallowed.

As for Rika, her lunch was almost entirely meat aside from one larger than normal but still lonely rice ball. Seriously, how did she have so much energy if that was all she ate? _'Kuh... If only Asuna would make me sandwiches again! I'd do anything for them...! That one week was so glorious, but then she stopped giving me the ones she'd made. I knew Asuna was a great cook, but those were like nothing I've ever eaten before!'_ I nearly recoiled from Rika's mental image of those sandwiches she'd eaten the first week of school. The glorious triangles of bread and delicious meat filling shone with a golden glow as Rika pictured them in her mind before chomping down on a skewer of hotdog from her lunch.

There's no way. There's no way all of this was because of something so _stupid_. ...Wait, what am I saying, it's entirely possible.

It didn't take too long before Rika and I had finished with our lunches. Rika actually scarfed down her food at a rapid pace, though Asuna didn't so much as flinch. Maybe she was used to it? Did Rika always eat that fast? As for me, well, Asuna's sandwiches never lasted that long. She could probably hand me a platter full of the delicious triangles and they'd be gone in under ten minutes. Rika tilted her lunchbox left and right, studying it. _'Aww, all the crumbs are gone. But that means...'_

I braced myself.

"Kazuto Kirigaya!" Rika leapt to her feet, pointing her finger at me. Seriously, does she have to say my name every time? "I challenge you!"

This is such a pain... "Rika," Asuna said with a weak smile, "what on Earth are you talking about?"

"You've been spending a lot of time with this boy, Asuna!" Rika declared. "So of course I'm going to get suspicious about what's so great about him!" She leaned forward and stared at me with her hands on her hips. "I'm not impressed, honestly."

"I told you, he saved me -"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it, you told me the story while you were chasing after him for a week." Rika waved Asuna's statement away with a hand.

"I-I wasn't..." We both ignored how Asuna blushed at the comment and stammered a denial. _'So maybe I was following him a little bit... but I wasn't doing anything like that, I wasn't!'_

Rika pointed at me again. "But I can't see how someone like him was able to save you from thugs. So, naturally, the only way to tell is to challenge him!"

Really? That's the _only_ way?

"Rika, why are you always like this...?" Asuna shook her head before she smiled at me. "Rika's heart is in the right place, even if she's bothering you."

"Hey!"

Asuna glanced at Rika for a second before she continued, "So... Sorry about this, but could you play along?"

Fine, fine.

"Thanks, Kazuto." Asuna smiled at me.

"Hey!" Rika frowned. I didn't want to call it a pout. "You'd better answer me, Kazuto. Are you going to answer the challenge?!"

I waved a hand at her.

Whatever, sure, I'll accept.

"Yesss!" With a loud cheer, Rika threw her fist in the air. "You'd better be on the rooftop after school, buster, or that'll be considered an automatic forfeit!"

I already missed Sword Art Online. Come back, Strea. I would take Kizmel sneaking into my bed or Strea's constant hug attempts over this. Rika is _loud_.

...

The wind blew between me and Rika as we faced off on the roof and stared each other down.

"So," Rika said. "You came."

Of course I did.

"I would have thought you would chicken out. So already, I'm impressed. But that's not good enough to satisfy me!" It almost felt like a blazing aura surrounded Rika as she posed and leveled a finger at me.

"Kuh!" Yuuna gasped, rocking backwards. "What is this pressure?!"

"This is my fighting spirit!" Rika shouted. "I'm all fired up to do this!"

It was... Yeah, there wasn't anything there. She was just acting. Yuuna, don't encourage her.

"Heheh... Sorry."

Rika pouted at me. "A-Anyway! That's besides the point. Like I was saying, it's time to begin!"

Uh, before that...

"What now?" Rika sighed.

I pointed over to the side of the roof, where Asuna and Yuuna were sitting. The beautiful long-haired girl had a bottle of water sitting next to her, and Yuuna was halfway through drinking her own bottle of water. What are they doing here? And how did Yuuna even find out about this, anyway?

Yuuna waved. "Asuna told me this was happening," she said.

I thought you were busy?

"Nope, only during lunch," she said. "But I can't believe I missed this!" She tilted her head. "How come you said yes, anyway?"

Asuna asked me to.

"I should have known..."

Huh? Why do you sound disappointed?

Yuuna folded her arms. "I don't sound disappointed." _'Stupid Kazuto.'_

What? What did I do wrong? Even reading Yuuna's thoughts was pointless, because she was focusing hard on thinking _'Stupid Kazuto'_ over and over again.

Rrrr... Whatever. So, what's the first challenge?

"Ahahaha! Raring to go, I see!" Rika grinned. "The first challenge takes place down at the track. We're gonna race!" ...Why didn't we just meet down there to begin with, if we're going to be racing first? Sheesh. _'Yesss! I always wanted to have a cool rooftop face-off, the TV shows always make it look so fun!'_

Of _course_ it's because Rika wanted to have fun. I'm not even surprised anymore.

Despite being irritated at me for some reason, Yuuna walked next to me while we all headed down to the field outside. "You're just gonna throw the challenge, right?" she asked quietly. I still checked the other girls' thoughts out of habit, but Asuna and Rika hadn't heard what Yuuna said. "So you can lose fast and go home?"

She really _does_ know me, doesn't she?

Yeah, probably. I just want to be done with this as soon as possible. And besides, I can't exactly use my powers or anything like that.

Yuuna nodded. "Yeah, that'd probably out you right away. Sorry to say this, Darling, but you really don't look that strong."

I shrugged. It's not like it really mattered what I looked like when it came to my psychic powers. I could have... who knows, I could have pink hair and it wouldn't change how powerful my abilities could be.

"But what I'm really wondering is how you managed to get the track and field groups to agree to this, Rika," Asuna said.

Rika grinned. "Heheh! Don't worry, I took the afternoon to prepare everything. I help the girl's track club from time to time, so I asked they said it was fine. I'm all fired up, too!" Her blazing spirit came out again like a shimmering field of heat.

When we made it out to the track field, Rika and I lined up on one end at the starting line. "This is pretty simple," Rika declared. "It's just a hundred meter dash. First person to finish wins!"

"So, honey, why are they racing, anyway?" Yuuna asked Asuna. "I mean, what's the point?"

Asuna smiled. "I think it's Rika's way of, um... I'm not really sure, actually? But she's a good person at heart, I'm sure of it."

Yuuna giggled. "Well, you know her best, after. And you're cheering for your best friend, right? So I'll cheer for Kazuto."

_'Oh no! I can't cheer for Kazuto, or Rika might get upset! That means... That means Yuuna gets to cheer for him alone!'_ "Of course I will," Asuna said without a shred of her inner conflict showing. "You can do it, Rika!"

"Go go Kazuto!" I blinked. Where did Yuuna even get those pom-poms?

Rika waved at our two cheerleaders before she pointed down the track. "Alright, let's do this! And remember - the loser gives up their rights to Asuna's sandwiches!"

...

...No.

Noooooo! This is the _worst_ possible outcome!

I'd never get to taste those wonderful meals again?! Then... Then there's only one way to solve this problem. I'll have to win!

"Ready..." Asuna called out.

"Go!" Yuuna shouted, raising one of her pompoms in the air.

Rika burst off of the line like a bullet and started sprinting down the track. I followed her, but... Fast! There was no way I was going to beat her like this! Should I use my full strength? But, if I did that, it'd be way too obvious!

"Go Rika, you can do it!" Asuna shouted.

_'Kazuto, run! You can do it! I think...'_ Yuuna was in the middle of some complicated dance with her pompoms. Well, at least _she's_ having fun.

I did my best, but by the time I made it halfway down the track, Rika was already crossing the finish line with a loud cheer. "That's a point for me!" she exclaimed as she threw her hands up in the air.

"Aww," Yuuna pouted. "You tried your hardest, Kazuto!"

There was one thing left for me to do, then. Thanks to a quirk of my psychic powers, I had total control over my body functions. In addition to tears (It was pretty convenient when chopping up onions for dinner) and things like that, I could also make myself sweat at will.

Naturally, when I stumbled across the finish line I was covered in sweat.

Rika stared at me in shock. _'No way... Even though he lost, he tried this hard...! Well, I kinda _have_ to give him credit for trying like this.'_

Perfect. I could tell that she was the type of person to respect hard work, and that confirmed it. So, even if I didn't win, I was still a moral victor. The problem was, it didn't put me any closer to securing my sandwiches!

...

"Alright, what's next?" Asuna asked.

Rika spread her arms to gesture to the room around us. We were in one of the Home Ec rooms with cooking utensils and ingredients laid out in front of two of the stations. "We're cooking, obviously! Kazuto and I make something to eat, and then our two judges try it and pick the better one!"

"And the judges are us?" Yuuna asked, pointing at herself.

"Yep! And no cheating because you're friends, got it?"

"I promise," Asuna said.

Yuuna smiled. "No worries! I'll take this seriously. Idol's honor!"

What even _is_ idol's honor, anyway? But Rika and Asuna seemed suitably impressed by Yuuna's declaration and it was time to start.

I studied what we had. Rika, how did you get all this?

"Oh, it was pretty easy. I just needed to talk to the Cooking club, and they said I could use this stuff. They were leftover ingredients or something, so it's no big deal." Rika looked over at me. "Besides, I help them out from time to time with carrying stuff, so they said this was the least they could do!"

Does this girl help literally every group in the school? Then again, she has the energy for it. Either way, it's not like it matters much. All I have to do is cook something to eat, huh? Well, there's rice and a little bit of beef, plus some potatoes and carrots. I'll make curry, everyone likes that. Besides, I make it often enough for Sugu that I don't really have to worry about screwing it up.

Chopping everything didn't take too long, and before long everything was simmering in my pot. The rice was easy, so while that was going I glanced over at Rika's pot - and recoiled. It looked like tendrils of black ooze were climbing out of her pot in an escape attempt.

"Something wrong?" Rika grinned at me while she smashed the ladle down on something in her pot. The tendrils flinched before Rika shoved them back in. "Are you worried you'll lose again?"

Well, whatever. We'll see how the girls like what we made once it's done.

"Time!" Asuna said after five more minutes had passed. "Okay, you two, let's see what dishes you've made."

I put the rice on three plates and ladled some curry on top of each. Steam rose up from them, and a delicious smell filled the air. "Oooh, curry!" Yuuna said with a huge grin. "And Rika made..."

We all stared at Rika's 'dish'. The blackened mess seemed to suck the light in from around it as a menacing aura rumbled around us. 'Do you want to be a magical girl?' I looked around, but the voice seemed to be coming from the eldritch geometries on her plate.

"I made hamburger," Rika said.

"I, uh... I see," Asuna replied. _'I think I can see into another dimension if I stare hard enough.'_

"It, um... looks like you tried, honey," Yuuna said. _'I feel like it's trying to steal my soul...'_

Asuna and Yuuna exchanged a quick glance before the beautiful long-haired girl smiled. "Let's try Kazuto's dish first, okay?"

Each of the girls picked up one of the plates and simultaneously ate a mouthful.

_'Asuna gasped as her knees went weak. The plate clattered on the floor when she sank to the ground, unable to keep herself on her feet. She clutched at her blouse as she shivered, panting. "So... good..."'_

_'Yuuna burst into tears as she swallowed the mouthful of curry. The food was just so delicious that she couldn't keep the tears back. "I want to eat this every day!" she wailed while she wiped at her tears.'_

_'Rika _exploded _backwards like the curry had punched her, sailing through the air. "It's strong! But the heat doesn't distract from the rest of the tastes!" She landed in a crumpled heap on the ground, still clutching the plate in her hands, and scooped another spoonful into her mouth. "It burns, but that makes the rice taste even better!"'_

The girls all handed me the empty plates. "We, uh. Ate it all," Asuna said sheepishly.

Sometimes I hate that I can read their thoughts. That always happens, too; whenever people eat good food, it's like they hallucinate something. These three are a little bit better than Sugu's, the first time I make a new recipe. _Her_ hallucinations always end up with her clothes flying off.

"So Kazuto wins this round," Yuuna said.

Rika nodded. "Yeah, he does." She carefully slid the plate holding her four-dimensional burgers into the trash. 'Let's make a contract!' I swear I can hear Latin chanting coming from somewhere... "So onto the next challenge!"

...

"Play ball!" Rika shouted as she grinned and took a few practice swings of her bat. "First to get a hit wins!"

This was really, really dumb. But I wasn't even surprised when Rika said she had a few friends in the baseball club, and had played as a pinch hitter for them a few times before. She'd gone over, asked them to borrow a few things, and then came back with all the equipment.

"Um, Rika, is this really necessary...?" Asuna fidgeted in her cheerleader outfit.

"Of course it is!" Rika shouted. "If we're doing this, we're going all the way!"

Yuuna giggled and shook her pompoms. So _that's_ where she got them. "Aww, don't be like that! You look cute, Asuna. Super pretty!" _'I almost don't want anyone else to see her like this but me!'_

"Right! And that's the important thing, you know!" Rika laughed before she turned back to me. "Well? You gonna throw the ball or not?!"

I stared at the baseball in my hands and then up at Rika. She stood over home plate in a professional-looking stance, and I sighed. Well, the sooner I do this, the sooner I can get all of this over with and go home. I have to win, for the sake of my sandwiches! I can't use my powers, but I can't just give up either.

I wound up and threw the baseball. "Oraa!" Rika shouted as she swung the bat. Her swing collided solidly with the ball and sent it flying into the distance. "Oh! That's a homerun!"

"Way to go, Rika," Asuna cheered.

"No, no, Asuna, honey, you've got to shake it like _this_." Yuuna kicked her legs up before wiggling back and forth. "Hooray, hooray, Rika!"

I thought you were supposed to be cheering for me.

"Whoops, sorry Kazuto!" _'My bad!'_

Since Rika had hit the ball, I got one shot at her pitch before the point was called in her favor. I picked up the bat that she had used as Rika scuffed the pitcher's mound with her foot. "I'm going to throw a forkball, right down the middle."

"What the?!" Yuuna exclaimed. "She's telling Kazuto what she's throwing?!"

"Will you believe me? Or not?" Rika called out, before she wound up.

Of course I'm not going to believe you. I can read minds. I know full well that she's going to throw a fastball instead and try to strike me out before I can do anything.

The pitch came out hard and fast. "A fastball!" Asuna gasped. "No way!"

"Go for it, Kazuto!" Yuuna shouted. "Rick 'em, rack 'em, rock 'em, rick! Hit the baseball with that stick!"

I swung the bat -

\- and the baseball smacked into the chain link fence behind me. Darn, I'd missed; I'd been holding back my strength too much and swung too slowly.

"Awww," Yuuna and Asuna chorused before they shared a quick glance. Asuna cleared her throat and looked away.

"That's two to one, my favor," Rika said. "Only two more challenges to go!"

Two more, huh? I have to win both of them, or... Or my sandwiches will disappear!

...

"How the heck did you clean this place so well?!" Rika yelped.

The fourth challenge was to clean one of the empty classrooms. It seemed that in exchange for all the favors Rika had asked (borrowing the track, borrowing the home ec room, borrowing the baseball stuff) she'd promised to help out with cleaning duty for one of the second years. We each worked on half of the room.

Rika's side was pretty clean; she'd gotten rid of most of the dust and dirt, and picked up the worst of the trash. In comparison, though...

"It's sparkling," Asuna gasped.

"Kazuto would make a great wife," Yuuna said. "Cooking, cleaning... He's perfect!"

Hey... At least call me a great husband.

Yuuna grinned. "Eheh, sorry, Darling."

"I can't believe I lost at cleaning to a boy," Rika muttered. "Then again, that makes sense! He has to keep his room clean, or his mom will come in and find where he's hidden his porn!"

Asuna covered her mouth, her cheeks bright red. _'That makes sense!'_ "Rika, you can't say those things!"

_'Kazuto, do you _have_ magazines like that?'_ Yuuna glanced at me.

Don't encourage Rika, please.

"Anyway, that means we're tied." Rika erupted from her seat and whirled around to point a finger at me. "So it's time for the final round. This one is worth five points, so whoever wins this wins it all!"

Wait, five points? Then... even if she'd won all four points earlier, the only one that mattered was the final one? _Then what was the point of spending all this time in the first place_?! I'm almost afraid of what we're doing next. Is it a race up and down the hallways? Are we going to compete in music club or something? Flower arranging?

"To the mall," Rika declared.

...What.

Asuna cocked her head. "Er, Rika, the mall? Isn't that..."

"Well, just Kazuto and I have to go. You two can go home if you want," Rika said.

"I don't get it," Yuuna said. "I thought we were supposed to be judges?"

Rika scratched the back of her head. "This one's kinda... oh, don't worry about it! It's fine! Besides, Asuna's mom'll get mad if she's late for dinner."

Asuna gasped before she reflexively checked her watch. "That's right, I almost forgot the time." She shouldered her bag and smiled. "I'm really sorry, but I have to go!"

"Oh no! I'm going to be late for rehearsal if I stay around too much longer," Yuuna said. "See you tomorrow, you two!" _'And an extra good luck to you, Darling~!'_

The two girls waved goodbye and hurried out of the room. Rika and I had to return to her classroom first since she hadn't remembered to bring her bag with her, so by the time we were out of school and got on the bus towards the mall, the sun had already started to set. I sighed and pulled out my phone.

"Who're you texting?" Rika asked.

My sister. I told her I would be walking home with her after this all finished, but if we're going to the mall, I won't make it before she does kendo.

"Aw, shoot," Rika said. "Sorry about that. We can always - wait, we're already on the bus! Why didn't you say something earlier?!"

You were dragging me around so quickly I couldn't get a word in edgewise.

"Whoops..." Rika chuckled and rubbed the back of her head. "Really sorry about that. Tell her it was my fault, okay?"

Even if her request was earnest, there was absolutely no way I was going to say something about that. After all...

_'Nooooo! Kazuto won't walk home with me?! And he doesn't know when he's going to be back?! This is the wooooorst!'_

...She's already upset enough. If I told her that I wasn't walking home with her because I was spending time with another girl, all alone, who _knows_ what would happen?

I do. I know what would happen. Because I am _intimately_ familiar with Sugu's thoughts about me.

So of course I'm going to have to decline Rika's offer of blaming it all on her. As convenient as the excuse would be, Sugu would definitely forgive me because I'm me.

When we got off the bus at the mall, I turned to Rika. So, what's the final challenge?

"Right. Ahem! The final challenge, Kazuto Kirigaya! It's to buy a present for Asuna!"

I stared at her.

What.

Rika clenched a fist. "How else will we figure out who's best suited to be by Asuna's side, huh? The price limit is 1000 yen, and we'll give them to her at the same time. The one she likes best is the winner!"

This is really stupid.

"Ready? Go!" Rika shouted. Seriously, does she not wait for a second? I'd heard the stories and the exasperated thoughts of teachers in the school, but this was more than I'd ever imagined.

Naturally, her shout attracted all sorts of attention - (_'Who are those two kids?' 'Are they on a date?' 'Tch, kids never know how to be polite...'_) - so I sighed and started walking. I don't know what to get Asuna for a present. How was I supposed to know, anyway? I've known her for two months!

Well, in this case, there's always the safe strategy. Rika started off on the second floor, where she looked at a shop selling some clothes. It was an expensive boutique though, out of the price range. I tried not to be too obvious that I was looking through the clothes. I didn't want people to get the wrong idea.

_'...Is that boy looking for clothes? He looks like he's lost...'_

Okay I'm leaving before the saleslady tries to convince me to crossdress or something! Rika left the clothes store a little bit before me, so I hurried to catch up to her. She glanced over her shoulder and frowned, and then sped up on her way to her second stop, a little jewelry stand in the center of the mall. It was cheaper than the clothes store, but I don't remember seeing Asuna wear jewelry before. Maybe a necklace? Whatever it was, Rika shook her head again and ran off.

She stopped by the food court briefly but I think that was just because she was hungry, if the images floating through her mind were any hint.

On our way to the third stop Rika finally whirled on me. _'That is it!'_ "Why are you following me?!" she snapped. She planted her hands on her hips and leaned forward. "I told you, we're supposed to buy a gift and find out which one Asuna likes more!"

I scratched the back of my head. Well, if I'm trying to buy something that Asuna likes, then obviously I'm going to follow you around. After all, you're her best friend. Of course you'd know what she likes the best, right?

"I, uh..." Rika leaned back. "R-Right, I'm her best friend, that's it. Just that."

Of course. It's really obvious.

Well, maybe it's more obvious to me because I can read Asuna's mind, but it still counts!

Rika cupped her chin and hummed in thought. "Welllll... Oh, fine!" She pointed at me, shaking her finger. "But you still have to pick out her gift on your own, got it?"

I will, I will. It's not like I'm going to give up my chance at Asuna's amazing sandwiches.

As we headed towards the next shop, Rika wrinkled her nose. "Ugh, it's so crowded today," she muttered. "We picked the worst time, huh?"

And whose fault is that? Who decided today was the perfect day to challenge me?

"Oh shut up," Rika sighed. "Anyway, do you know where Tower Records is? On the first floor?" I shook my head. That was a shop I wasn't really familiar with. I didn't even come to the mall that often in the first place. There were too many _people_ around, blasting my telepathy. I'd closed myself off as tight as possible, but even still it was like someone blasting loud music in the next room over, only the door between the two was closed. "Err... Crap, if we just try to shove our way through, we'll get split up..."

Can we just... go?

I reached out and grabbed her hand. Rika froze totally and just stared at her hand. It was... kinda weird? I mean, before this she'd always been moving in one way or another, but now she was motionless. I'd check her thoughts to see if something was wrong, but I didn't want to risk it in this crowd of people.

Rika? Hello?

"Y-Yes!" she yelped. "I, uh, let's just go okay it's this way!" Whatever had been wrong seemed to be gone now, because she took the lead again and pulled me through the crowd by the hand. At least she was acting normal again, even if she'd surprised me at first.

The crush of people in the mall was obnoxious, but Rika pushed through without hesitation. If I hadn't been holding her hand, I would have gotten separated from her nearly instantly. Instead, she acted as a battering ram that parted the shopper sea and let me through behind her. Once we were in Tower Records - which, like the name suggested, sold music and related accessories - she snatched her hand away and rushed off towards one side of the store.

Let's see... Rika would know better than me what Asuna likes (which was why I followed her around, obviously) but I'd promised her I'd pick out Asuna's gift on my own, so I can't ask her. Hmm... We were in a music shop, so obviously I should buy some music for Asuna. It was lucky that she and Yuuna had gotten into a conversation about the subject a week or so ago over lunch, then.

* * *

_Wait, why is _this_ flashback-worthy?!_

**May 23rd, 2025**

"Asuna, listen to this one," Yuuna said. Asuna smiled and leaned over to let Yuuna put the second earbud in her ear so the two girls could listen to the song on Yuuna's phone.

I didn't mind that they didn't ask me if I wanted to listen. It'd be weird for me to share earbuds with one of the girls, obviously. Plus, I could hear the music through their thoughts. This one was a slower song than Yuuna usually hummed or listened to; she'd shared a few of those with Asuna before but the girl had seemed politely disinterested. Instead of just leaving it alone like a normal person, Yuuna had decided, _'I'm going to find something Asuna likes!'_

So, here we were. Yuuna and Asuna were happily sitting next to each other and listening to some music, while I'm left to wonder when exactly those two got so close they were practically rubbing their cheeks together.

"Ooh, I like this one," Asuna said.

Yuuna smiled. "Really? What do you like?"

Asuna scratched her cheek. "Umm... The, uh, you called it the melody, right? And I think I like the singer."

"Haruka Tomatsu! She's one of my favorites."

"Really?"

"Sure!" Yuuna giggled. "I don't have many of her songs, but if I get any, I'll let you borrow them!"

Asuna smiled. "That'd be wonderful, Yuuna!"

* * *

Necessity of the flashback aside, at least it helped me remember the name of that singer Asuna liked. Haruka Tomatsu, huh? Well, I'll go see if they have anything from her.

Searching the store didn't take too long, and I found the section devoted to pop songs pretty easily. I really didn't buy music all that often, but that's a lot of CDs... Now, which one should I get for Asuna?

* * *

_Again!?_

**May 31st, 2025**

"I heard there's a new CD coming out today," Yuuna said to Asuna. "By Haruka Tomatsu, I mean."

Asuna gasped. "Oh, that's wonderful! Let's go this weekend and check it out!"

"Sure! It's a date."

* * *

Okay, that was literally yesterday, I already remembered that. What was the _point_ of the flashback? I think whoever's writing this story is messing with me.

Whatever. That's the present I'm going to look for. Asuna should like that, right?

Fortunately for finding it quickly, the new album was right there on full display. I reached out to pick one up, and my hand brushed against someone else's.

I turned to apologize, only to see Rika snatch her hand away and look away from me. "S-Sorry!" she yelped. "I didn't mean to tuh-touch your hand, I promise!"

You're being loud, Rika.

"Whoops," she said. This time her voice was still loud, but Rika-levels of loud instead of loud enough to get everyone else in the store looking at us. "Sorry. Anyway, I saw it first!"

...It won't work anyway, it costs 10 thousand.

"What? Oh, dang it," Rika sighed. "This was the best thing that I could think of... Maybe I can go get her a coat or scarf or something? But it's the middle of the summer, she wouldn't... Graaah!" Rika tugged at the ends of her hair in frustration. _'I want to get this for Asuna, but I only have a thousand yen on me...'_

Hey, Rika?

"Huh?"

Why don't we just get Asuna the gift together? If we pool our money, that's enough to buy it. Plus, she'd probably like it the most if we got along, or something like that.

Rika stared at me, and then grinned widely and clapped her hand on my shoulder. "That's a great idea! Let's do it!"

* * *

Two days after the whole 'challenge' between me and Rika, I headed up to the roof while Yuuna's humming lead the way. I didn't even try to ignore the girls at this point; if I did, then one or more of them would come down to get me. The _best_-case scenario at that point was Yuuna, and that would still be enough to get people talking about it.

Asuna smiled as I stepped out onto the roof. "Kazuto, there you are! You're just in time."

"C'mon, get over here!" Rika called out. She was already cross-legged on the ground and tapping her foot impatiently. _'I wanna eeeeeaaaat, hurry up and sit down alreadyyyy!'_

Why is she even hanging out here anyway?

Well, I ask myself, but I already know the answer. When Rika and I gave the CD to Asuna yesterday, she was so excited that she leapt out of her seat and through her arms around both of us at once. After a second she'd let go (both Rika and Asuna were blushing) and sat back down, thanking us profusely. Then, she'd told us that she'd made enough sandwiches for _both_ of us.

After I sat down for lunch, it was more or less the same as it was before, just with Rika joking around. "So, you're a transfer student, huh?" she asked Yuuna.

"Sure am," my friend replied. "I transferred in early in the year."

"How're you liking it so far?" Rika grinned. "Joined any clubs? I bet there's something here you're interested in, right?"

Yuuna shook her head. "I wish," she sighed. "But I'm so busy with my idol practice for right now. I'd _love_ to join the drama club, their outfits are _amazing_!"

"Hey, you were great a few days ago," Rika told her. "I bet they'd love to have you! Right, Kazuto?"

That was when it happened.

Rika, in her natural state of Rika, slapped me on the back as if trying to drag me into the conversation. However, I was about to take a bite of one of Asuna's sandwiches, and when she slapped me on the back it went flying in the air from the force she smacked me with. It was like time slowed to a crawl as it flew over the railing and fell to the ground.

No!

I lunged from my seat and reached out.

"Rika!" Asuna scolded her.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that would happen!" _'Crap, now I feel really bad... I'd offer him one of mine if I hadn't eaten them all...'_ "I'll make it up to you, okay? It's not..."

Rika trailed off and Asuna let out a gasp. I didn't have to turn around to know that she'd covered her mouth with both hands; I couldn't even if I wanted to, because all of my focus and concentration was tasked towards one, vitally-important goal.

Picking up my sandwich out of the air and lifting it back to the roof with my telekinesis, of course.

...I said I was only going to reveal my powers in case of an emergency? Well, what do you think this _is_?!

"Kazuto," Yuuna sighed. "Why?"

Because it's a _sandwich_, Yuuna.

"You - what the - HUH?!" Rika yelped. She pointed at me.

"K-K-Kazuto?" Asuna stammered, eyes wide. _'How did he _do_ that?'_ "What... What was that?"

I sighed. Crap. Now I have to deal with _this_. It's a _really_ good thing that one of my powers is the ability to manipulate memories. This is one of the good cases, too; unless I know their mind really well I have to physically touch someone to erase their memories. I could erase Sugu's memories from a distance, and probably Yuuna's, but Asuna? Rika? No way.

If I'm lucky, nobody else caught my use of psychic powers -

_'...Was that a flying sandwich?! Oh man, I HAVE to write an article about this!'_

...I had to just think it. I _had_ to taunt whoever's writing this story.

...

I sighed as the morning bell rang to start classes. I go through my day-to-day life trying to keep things as simple as possible, and it was _incredibly_ stressful having someone sniffing around about my powers. Especially since nobody had said anything at all yet.

_'Kazuto...! Some girl from the journalism club just came to talk to me, and I think she's the one who knows about your powers. She kept asking me whether or not I was up on the roof for lunch yesterday!'_

My head hit my desk with a light thump.

* * *

**Gasp! Shock! Who could this mysterious journalism person be, who's snooping around for information?!**

**Anyway, moving right along. Rika is INCREDIBLY ENERGETIC! Blazing passion, with the fury of a thousand suns. Perfect for her fiery personality, right? (I don't care, she's fun to write like this. Instead of sassy, she's sassy and ALL FIRED UP) That being said, I will never ever ever give up the idea that she is also incredibly vulnerable to that lewdest of lewd things, hand-holding.**

**Besides, I need someone to drag the others into shenanigans. Yuuna is fun to write (I'm **_**trying**_** for something like slightly-over-the-top emotiveness, since she **_**is**_** an idol) but she's more a reactive character, and Asuna is The One Sane Girl in all of this, so she's not going to be doing stuff like 'Let's go play baseball!' or 'Time to do some cooking!'**

**(And yes that WAS an emergency! He almost lost a sandwich!)**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	5. Just A Regular Girl

**Chapter 5: Just A Regular Girl; Or, Ninjas Aren't Real**

* * *

**June 4th, 2025**

_'Darling...! Some girl from the Journalism club just came to talk to me, and I think she's the one who knows about your powers. She kept asking me whether or not I was up on the roof for lunch yesterday!'_

My head hit my desk with a light thump. It never ends, does it? I put out one fire, and three more pop up in its place.

For instance, everything that had happened the last few days. Rika Shinozaki, a girl so energetic she could probably power the city if they hooked her up to a huge hamster wheel that generated electricity, had decided to _challenge_ me to some sort of competition. And the reason? She was jealous her best friend Asuna Yuuki was spending more time with me lately. And probably that Asuna was making me sandwiches but hadn't been making her any. I'd somehow managed to handle that crisis, but I accidentally revealed one of my abilities as **the world's most powerful psychic** to the two of them when I had to rescue a sandwich from certain death.

What? I'm being ridiculous? They're _really good sandwiches_, okay!?

I had wiped the memories of me using my powers from Asuna and Rika, but there had been one more person that had seen a floating sandwich. Their thoughts had floated through my mind almost immediately.

Aaaand, naturally, I can't get a single break, so the person had started sniffing around this morning.

I sighed with my forehead pressed against the desk. Well, I knew this was going to happen sooner or later. Unfortunately, Ms. Ryoko's thoughts approached the classroom for the start of class, so I would have to tell Yuuna to come talk to me during the break - wait. She's not able to hear my thoughts; I don't have the precise control to broadcast my thoughts to just one person I couldn't see and not everyone in... well, probably the entire country. In that case, I'll just text her. (Yuuna had, during May, plucked my phone from my hands and put her number in my contacts list. I had three numbers in there, now - Sugu, Mom, and Yuuna.)

_'Oops! The teacher just entered the room. I'll talk to you during the break between classes. See you then, Darling~!'_

Huh. That was pretty lucky, actually. Either way, there's not much I can do about it until the morning classes are over. As Ms. Ryoko entered, I lifted my head and got ready for class.

...

After the morning classes ended, I stretched in my seat. Alright, time to go back to the insanity that is my life these days...

"Kazuto, you're here!" Yuuna practically burst into the room. All eyes were drawn towards her, before the others went back to gossiping and doing their homework. It's irritating that they're all so used to Yuuna just showing up, actually. It means that she's here so often it's normal for one of the most popular girls in the school to show up and come talk to me.

Why?! Why is this my life? Why is it impossible for me to escape being the MC for just one day?

Yuuna took a seat at the desk in front of me and leaned forward with her elbows on my desk. "I'm glad I got here in time, Darling. Phew..."

So, what happened?

"Well, just before class started, a girl I didn't know came up to me," she said. "She introduced herself as a member of the Journalism club, and she asked me a bunch of questions about yesterday. Like, was I on the roof at lunch, and did I see a flying sandwich, and who else was with me." She waved her hands. "D-Don't worry! I made sure to deny everything about it! I said, 'There's no way I saw someone use psychic powers to lift a sandwich back up!'"

...You're a terrible liar, Yuuna.

Yuuna wilted in her seat. "Am I really that bad? But she seemed to -"

"Nya hah hah! I knew that ya'd lead me to him if I waited long enough."

Great. _Another_ complication. The new girl that had just appeared to our right had a smug grin on her face; I hadn't sensed her thoughts as she approached, so even I was a little startled by her sudden appearance. "Yo," she said, and gave me and Yuuna a tiny salute with two fingers and a wink. The girl was wearing our school uniform like me and Yuuna, but I couldn't tell what year she was in thanks to the baggy jacket she wore over it. It had been customized, too, with a mouse patch on her left arm. The letter N was inscribed on top of the mouse... or was it a rat? I couldn't tell. A pair of glasses were tucked into the pocket on her left breast.

"Uwaah!" Yuuna gasped. "You're back!"

"Nya hah hah!"

While I didn't recognize the face of the girl in front of me or her mouse-brown hair (she looked younger than the avatar she'd used, and her avatar's hair was closer to blonde than the current brown), I _definitely_ knew that laugh. I'd become very familiar with its owner over the month of May. And, in addition, the mental voices of my friend in SAO never matched the voice of her avatar. That had been a little weird, but I'd always been too preoccupied with dealing with Strea and Kizmel to really notice.

The girl grinned. Hmm, the smug grin was the same, too. _'Time to go to work!'_ "Hi there," she purred. "My name's Kana. I'd like ta ask ya a few important questions."

The smug grin, the accent, the sound of her thoughts. All of it led to one, inescapable conclusion - hello, Argo. I'm not surprised that your transfer was to my school, not in the slightest.

A few questions? About what?

"Nothin' much, nothin' much."

Yuuna pointed at Kana. "Don't listen to her, Darling! She's just trying to get you to lower your guard!"

"Does it matter if he doesn't have anythin' ta hide?" Yuuna folded her arms at Kana's question and let out a quiet huff. "Anyway, this's somethin' we should talk about privately, if ya get what I'm sayin'. Don't wanna let my scoop leak 'fore I publish it, y'know?"

I was familiar with the Rat's business model, and now that she'd set her sights on getting something out of me I wouldn't be free of her until she managed to wring it out of me. It wasn't like with Asuna, where I could easily just avoid her. Argo never let up in SAO, and I doubt she's much different in real life. Now that she was on the scent of a scoop, she'd go to the ends of the Earth, climb any mountain, just to get her story.

Sorry, but class is going to start soon. Can we talk about this later?

"Aren't ya the studious one? But sure, sure, I getcha. We'll talk over lunch, 'kay?"

A few people had already turned around to look at us _('Is that someone from the newspaper?' 'Kirigaya always hangs out with the Princesses... I bet the newspaper wants gossip about the love triangle I heard about!')_ thanks to Kana's brazen way of just sitting on my desk without a care in the world. I knew I wasn't going to be getting out of this, so I simply agreed to the interview without fighting.

Kana grinned. "Great, see ya then. Oh yeah, lemme introduce myself properly, first." Kana flicked her wrist and a small business card appeared between her fingers. She held it out to me and I accepted it so that I could read over it. "Kana Izawa, member 'a the Journalism club like ya heard earlier. Nice ta meet'cha."

...

"Darling, be careful," Yuuna said. I just tried to ignore how weird it felt that I'd be spending lunch without the girls.

Kana's nose twitched. "Darling, eh? _Someone_'s popular. Nya hah hah!" She snickered as we walked out in the hall. I tried to ignore Yuuna's thoughts running a million different directions as she headed up to the roof to give Asuna and Rika the 'bad' news.

It's not like that, she just always talks to people that way.

"If ya say so." _'Let's see if he takes the bait...'_ "Ya know yer girlfriend better than me, after all." Warned by her thoughts, I made sure I didn't react at all. Thanks to my perfect control over my body I didn't so much as twitch, and my cheeks didn't change color even a shade. _'Tch. Dang, thought I was onto something.'_

Well? What are your questions? Lunch isn't forever, you know.

"So impatient~." Kana shook her head and opened a door. It was one of the unused rooms, or so I thought; instead of being empty, there was a single table sitting in the center of the room. Most of the room was dark except for a bright old-school light hanging from above, illuminating a steaming bowl of katsudon.

...Really? The classic chicken and noodle dish? Is this an interview or an interrogation?

"Eh, it was worth a shot, right?"

I'm not eating that. And turn the lights on.

"Well, whatever. Food fer me, then." Without missing a beat Kana flicked the lights on and sat down at the other side of the desk. She pulled the huge bowl of food over and dug in with gusto. "Feel free ta eat yer own lunch 'fore we get started," she said after swallowing a mouthful of noodles. "Our lil' Q&A sesh shouldn't last too long but bet yer hungry."

She wasn't wrong, so I sat down across from Argo- Kana, and opened up the lunch my sister had packed for me. It was the same size as usual, but for some reason I was still hungry after I - oh.

Right. I don't get my sandwiches today.

_'Kazuto's not going to eat with us?!'_

_'I can't believe it!'_

Oh, and I see Asuna and Rika have been filled in by Yuuna that I wouldn't be eating lunch with them today.

"So's," Kana said, and I focused on her again. She'd finished the huge bowl of food and placed it off to the side. In its place was a notepad and a pencil, primed for scribbling down my answers to her questions. "I'll make this pretty easy fer ya. I know you an' yer idol friend were up on the roof yesterday fer lunch, an' I know I saw a floatin' sandwich outside the window, Kazu-boy."

'Kazu-boy'?

"What, yer complainin', after ya let Yuuna call ya 'Darling'?"

...Whatever. So what's your question?

Kana's smirk spread a little bit wider. "It's pretty simple, actually. Are ya psychic?"

No.

Kana rolled her eyes. "Yeah, figured that'd be yer answer. But I know it's not Yuuna, an' the only other ones that hang out with ya are Asuna Yuuki an' Rika Shinozaki. Neither 'a them seemed ta know anythin' 'bout powers or anythin' like that, an' I could tell they weren't lyin'. So, that leaves you~." She pointed at me with the mouse-shaped eraser in her hand.

I'm not psychic.

"Ya keep sayin' that, but I don't believe ya," she said without losing her smug grin. "An' it's not like I don't know already, right? I jus' need some proof 'fore I can write th' article. A confession would be the best, but some video or pics? Jus' as good, really."

I stared at her silently. Seriously, I gave up the chance at Asuna's sandwiches for _this_?

_'Sheesh, this guy's a tough nut to crack. Well, he'll slip up sooner or later...'_ "Anyway, that was all," Kana said. She stood up and stretched luxuriously. "Lunch's almost over, an' I still need ta swing by the cafeteria an' grab some ice cream for dessert."

Ice cream? Despite myself I glanced at the huge bowl of food she'd been eating and it had practically been licked clean.

How are you still hungry?

"Sweets go in a separate stomach," Kana said with a serious nod. I'm... not sure that's how that works, but Sugu would probably agree with her.

* * *

Normally, I wouldn't mind Kana trying to get proof of my psychic powers in action. Most of them didn't have very obvious effects she could capture on film (it's not like I had to raise a hand to make something levitate, that'd be too silly even for _my_ garbage powers), and the ones that did were too obvious for me to use unless I wanted to wipe the memories of everyone in the school.

_'C'mon, hurry up and slip up already... But I've been trained for this, tailing him is nothing new!'_

Her thoughts are focused on me, and I can hear them. I don't know how she snuck up on me earlier, but it's way easier to track her now. That being said... Trained?! For stalking me? What the heck!

Well, she's Argo after all, and gathering information was her bread and butter in SAO, so that means I'm going to have to confront her here.

_'Hey, wait! Where's he going? His class is - wait, is he about to use psychic powers?! I have to go watch!'_

Kana hurried down the hallway, through the rest of the crowd, and rounded the corner - where I waited with my arms folded. "Erk!" She screeched to a halt and stared at me.

Seriously, will you not -

"Smoke bomb!"

Wha-

Kana tossed something at the ground and it exploded into a cloud of white smoke that blinded me. It was a lot like the items she loved using in SAO and I coughed, waving the smoke away from my face. What the heck?! Who just throws a smoke bomb in the middle of the school?! When it cleared away, Kana was nowhere to be seen.

_'Phew, that was a close one. I just need to stay up here until he leaves, and then - Oh come on!'_

It's hard for her to hide when I can read her thoughts. I'd just turned around and stared up at the corner of the ceiling, where she held herself up.

...What are you - Gah!

Kana had launched herself forward and passed right over my head, knocking me to the ground. I shook my head and rolled over, then got to my feet - just in time to see Kana bent over as she got up herself. More importantly, her skirt had shifted a bit to reveal higher up on her leg, and I stared straight at a piece of metal strapped to her leg.

Kana, is that a kunai on your thigh?

"My thigh?" Kana studied me for a second. "...You shouldn't stare at me like that, Kazu-boy~."

I-It's not like that! But a smoke bomb, climbing walls in an instant, carrying around a kunai... Kana, are you a ninja?

Kana stared at me. "...Ninjas don't exist."

You're definitely a ninja.

"I'm not a ninja, because ninjas don't exist."

If you're not a ninja, then what are you?

Kana grinned. "I'm a normal, average girl. I love sweets and cute things."

That's impossible. You are, without a doubt, a nin-

_'Ninja Art: Vanishing Wind!'_ Abruptly, in the space between one blink and another, before I could even finish the sentence, Kana disappeared in a swirl of wind. I didn't even see her leave, which was pretty impressive since my vision was just as enhanced as my strength. But... Seriously, Ninja Art?! She's definitely a ninja.

At the very least, her Ninja Art seemed to keep her away from me for the rest of the day. Or, maybe she had to get to class. For that matter, what class was she even in? I don't think she ever mentioned it, now that the subject occurred to me. All she told me was that she'd transferred into the school recently.

Regardless of her class, by the end of the day I hadn't been stalked by the over-excited journalist since she vanished with the smoke bomb. That was nothing but a good thing, naturally. The less I had to deal with any of this, the less I had to act like the MC of this story.

"Kazutoooo!"

I sighed. Yuuna's arms had wrapped around me from behind and the girl had nuzzled up against my back. I was just about to escape through the front gate of the school, too. Even Yuuna has to go to her idol practice, so she usually doesn't follow me around once we're out of school. But apparently, when I'm standing in the courtyard? I'm fair game.

Hi, Yuuna. Can you let me go?

She did, but that was just so she could walk around in front of me and place her hands on my shoulders and stare at me intently.

"You're okay, Darling? That girl didn't do anything untoward, did she?" Yuuna patted my shoulders and chest like she was checking me for wounds or something. "I was so _worried_ when she just showed up to drag you off like that! Did she know about your... y'know? Or was it something else?" Before I could reply, she gasped. "No way, Darling! Was this a confession?! She said she had to ask you some important questions! Were they 'Do you have a girlfriend' and 'Will you go out with me?'! No waaaay!"

She combed through her hair with one hand while she played with her braid with the other. "B-But to think it would happen so soon, that someone would see how wonderful you are! I mean, I saw it right from the start, but to think that this girl... No wonder she's a journalist! She's as insightful as a girl could possibly be! Now, Kazuto, I hope you two have a happy -"

Yuuna. Before you keep going on about that...

"Y-Yes?" _'Does he not want me to give him my blessings as his best friend? But... does that mean...'_

Kana didn't want to talk about dating anyone. She asked whether or not I was psychic.

Yuuna blinked at me. _'Ehhhh?'_ "Wait, what?"

You jumped to a really weird conclusion, you know?

Though... I couldn't really deny the warm feeling in my stomach from the realization that she thought about me like that. I mean, she's my friend, after all.

"Oh! I misunderstood the whole thing!" Yuuna sighed. Her shoulders relaxed. "Whew! That's a huge relief, Darling."

"What's a huge relief?" It wasn't hard for us to hear Rika's voice as she called out to us. I turned to see the energetic brunette hurrying towards us at a Rika-pace, Asuna desperately following her friend in the wake of her passing. "Does this have something with why you weren't eating lunch with us today, buster?"

"Don't bother him, Rika," Asuna sighed as she caught up. The wind played with her lovely hair, and she tucked a few loose strands behind her ear. "I'm sure whatever that girl wanted to talk to him about was important, right Kazuto?" _'I hope it wasn't a confession...'_

What is with these girls and thinking it's a confession?!

It was a little important but no big deal, really. I'm handling it.

"Wow, look at this guy," Rika said with a grin. "Acting all cool and stuff. Bet you're just trying to impress Asuna, hmm?"

She nudged her best friend's ribs. "Rika, stop," Asuna sighed. It didn't really have any heat to the request, though. The two of them played around like this all the time.

Still, I wasn't about to tell them what Kana and I had _actually_ talked about. I'd already erased their memories once, I wasn't about to need to do it again!

...

**June 10th, 2025**

I'm always careful about using my powers. Most of the time, I prefer not to use them at all unless it's an actual problem. You know, like my sandwich falling off of the roof.

...What do you mean, that's not a real emergency? Shut up. My point is, if I can help it, I don't use my powers. The downsides are definitely not worth it if I'm trying to use them in my daily life.

Really, what I'm saying is, no matter how dedicated Kana was in trying to stalk me and catch me using my powers, it wasn't going to happen.

_'Maaaaan, this isn't going anywhere today either! What is _up_ with this guy?'_

It helped that I could hear her thoughts whenever she tried to follow me.

_Ding dong ding dong_

_'And that's the bell too. Dang it, another break with nothing to show for it!'_

So, because I could hear Kana ranting in her thoughts, I wasn't surprised at all when the wall seemed to peel forward. Except it wasn't the wall, it was Kana standing behind a perfect image of the wall. Casually, and without anyone else seeming to notice, she rolled it up in her hands and then stashed the scroll in her bag.

It was only then that she looked up and saw me staring at her.

...What are you doing?

"Nothing at all. What a coincidence, runnin' inta ya here," Kana said.

You can't possibly be telling me this is a coincidence.

Kana shrugged. "Don't know what else it could be."

I'd bring up the whole 'I can read your thoughts' thing, but then that'd just be confessing to her, and the next thing I know it'd be posted all over the school newspaper the Journalism club puts out. And then I'd have to deal with erasing the memories of the entire school, and that's _way_ too much work for me.

But how can you say you're not a ninja?

"'Cause I'm not a ninja," Kana said. "Ninjas don't exist."

You say you're not a ninja, and then you do ninja things like that. I just _watched_ you!

"Like what?"

Like using that weird scroll thing to camouflage yourself perfect with the wall.

Kana grinned at me. "What scroll thing? I don't see any scroll thing anywhere, do ya?" I just stared at her silently. I couldn't come up with a response to that. "Anyway, gotta get ta class. Later, Kazu-boy~."

Hey! What class are you in, anyway?"

Kana wagged her finger back and forth and clicked her tongue. "Don't ya know better than ta ask a gal her age, Kazu-boy? I woulda thought A-chan would have taught ya better by now."

A-chan? You mean Asuna? And what does that have to do with your age?

"Don't worry about it." Kana waved before she stepped forward. _'Secret Ninja Technique: Crowd Walk!'_ After a second, I lost track of her in the wave of moving students, despite trying my best to keep track of her.

Secret Ninja Technique... Who the heck is she trying to kid? 'Not a ninja'. Sure, and I'm just a regular student.

All of this is starting to remind me of back when school first started, and Asuna had been doing her level best to corner me. In fact, it's starting to fit a _lot_ of patterns - I meet a cute girl, they proceed to make my life way more complicated than it had been before.

Talk about uncreative. If you're going to write me in a story, at least make it one that's interesting!

...

**June 11th, 2025**

I frowned. Something felt... off.

Let's see... I dodged Sugu's morning ambush out of the shower and her unsubtle attempts at holding my hand by 'accident' on the way to school like usual, so it wasn't that. I definitely had breakfast, so I'm not hungry... Asuna and Rika said hello to me when I passed them in the hall earlier, and Yuuna danced past me with a cheerful wave on her way to her class.

It's exactly like a normal day of school, so why -

_'Crap crap crap, I'm gonna be late!'_

Oh. Well, that explains why something felt off. Kana's thoughts hadn't been pushing at me the whole time I was on school grounds. I would have wondered why she hadn't been bothering me, but her thoughts answered that question very neatly. Though... wouldn't a ninja have some sort of super speed or something? How the heck was she late?

Something in the wall next to me rumbled, and I looked to see an entire chunk of the wall rotate. I couldn't help but stop and stare as the rotating wall stopped and Kana stepped away from it. She'd just...

Kana huffed out a quick sigh and then darted forward, straight into my chest. Naturally, my super strength meant I didn't budge, but before Kana fell over she jumped and did a quick back flip. She landed on her feet and shook her head. "Bwah - oh, it's you."

What the heck are you doing?

"I-I'm just using the perfectly normal rotating door," Kana said. "Every school corridor has them, you know."

No, they really don't. And why are you using ninja techniques in the middle of the school?

Kana wagged a finger at me. "Tsk tsk! Silly Kazu-boy. I'm not a ninja, I'm just a cuter-than-average normal girl, that's all. So I can't use ninja techniques at all."

That makes no sense. And did you just call yourself cuter than average?

Kana opened her mouth, but before she could say anything the bell rang again. Kana flinched. "Crap, the bell! Gotta run! See ya, Kazu-boy! I'll be watchin' fer ya ta use yer powers, um... later. After class." The bell tolled again, reminding both of us that we have to get to class soon, and Kana flinched. _'Crap! Gotta go gotta go gotta go!'_

She darted around me and disappeared into the crowd. I turned to look for her, but like the day before I lost sight of her almost immediately.

...I think we'll just call this one a draw. We're both a little bit too busy to worry about playing cat and mouse.

...

The rest of the morning passed fairly slowly, and I was incredibly glad for the reprieve from Kana's relentless snooping. I didn't have to worry about someone trying to spy on me through the classroom windows from the hall, the classroom windows on the outside of the building... Kana had, at some point, managed to hang from a tree branch to give her a perfect view of my class. I'd given up questioning things at that point, and when I glanced out the window all I could see was a few leaves floating down to the ground. There wasn't even anyone in the supply locker in the back of the room!

I didn't know how Kana pulled that off without getting caught or skipping class, and to be entirely honest I don't know if I _want_ to know. It's probably some sort of Secret Ninja Technique or something like that.

Even lunch was totally normal. Asuna brought sandwiches for me and Rika, Rika cheered loudly and chattered loudly the same way she always did, and Yuuna continued to bounce between talking to me and Asuna. I really don't know how she manages it, but Yuuna had already become friends with both of the girls like they'd been friends their whole life. Maybe it was a girl thing.

After lunch, I returned to my desk and sat down - but before I could move, there was a rustle of movement. Thanks to my psychic powers enhancing my physical abilities, I could see a small white square of paper fly through the air and slam into the little storage part of the desk. When I craned my head over and peered inside, there was a card sitting perfectly in the center of the cubby, propped up against the back. 'To Kazuto', the front read in neat, flowing script.

...Was this some sort of Ninja Technique? Secret Ninja Technique: Throw A Card Through A Crowded Room Into Someone's Desk?

_'Yess! Secret Ninja Technique: Shuriken Skim worked perfectly!'_

I sighed and leaned forward until my head thumped lightly on my desk. I can't make this stuff up. I really, really can't.

_'...Look at the card! C'mon, jeez! Ugh!'_

Great. And Kana is watching me from somewhere, and I don't think her thoughts are going to be quiet and leave me alone until I read whatever _this_ is. With another sigh, I reached into the desk and pulled out the card. I flipped it open and glanced at the contents. 'Roof, after school.'

...Really? You couldn't just come out and ask me to meet you up there, Kana? Did you have to go through this entire elaborate setup just to give me this message?

_'Great, he looked at it! But I can't keep watching, I have to get back to class!'_

I shook my head. Seriously... But I'm pretty sure if I _don't_ respond to her challenge, I'll find the next note in my locker - and then _that's_ going to make everything even more complicated than it already is. I really don't want people thinking I got a love letter from someone, and have that rumor circulate around back to the other girls. Or worse yet, my sister.

Yeah, that'd be bad. It would suck to have to deal with Rika teasing me about getting a girlfriend, even though Kana's meeting had nothing to do with that sort of thing. But if _Sugu_ heard through the school grapevine that I was dating someone, she'd probably freak out. So, at the end of the day, I stood up from my desk and walked out of the classroom.

_'Hey, that Kirigaya kid is leaving early, without waiting for Yuuna or Asuna!' 'Did they have a fight?' 'Does this mean we won't get to see the Two Princesses anymore?!'  
_

I wish my classmates had more interesting things to do than think about the people that keep bothering me. And the Two Princesses... I'd ask, but I can read the thoughts of everyone in the school. I knew that as soon as Yuuna transferred in, her beauty and kind nature had endeared her to everyone around. She'd rapidly joined Asuna in the ranks of girls the entire student body loved. The "Two Princesses" name had just popped up recently, though.

Whatever. I can't worry about my classmates whispering about the fact that I wasn't leaving with the girls today, I have to focus on dealing with this next crisis.

I hesitated at the exit to the roof. Am I really doing this? I put so much effort into avoiding Asuna back when I first became the main character. Surely I could handle the letters appearing in my shoe locker or something like that, right?

After a second, I sighed. No, I can't run away now. Besides, if I don't go see Kana, she'll probably... I don't know, track me down to my house or something. Then she'd climb into my room through the window and confront me there; knowing my luck, some sort of cliché accident would occur and Sugu would walk in juuuust as Kana tripped on nothing and toppled onto the bed. Whether I was on top of her or beneath her, the generic rom-com cliché would play out relentlessly.

Yeah, it's probably better that I don't risk it. With how my life was going...

I shook my head to chase away the thoughts and pushed the door open. As I stepped through, I saw -

\- nothing. There was nobody on the roof at all. What the heck? You make a point of calling me to the roof, and then you're nowhere to be seen? Talk about rude. I'm not even going to wait around to see if you show up, Kana. I'm leaving.

As I turned to head back inside and leave school (I had to pick up Sugu, after all) a familiar laugh rang out. "Nya hah hah! Ya can't sense me with yer psychic powers, huh?"

My lips twitched into a frown for a second before I sighed and looked up. Sure enough, there was the girl that had been hounding me for the last week. She stood on top of the exit and balanced on one foot while she looked down at me. It looked effortless, and she didn't so much as wobble.

What psychic powers, Kana?

"Uh huh, play dumb if ya want, I know what's up." I sighed.

What do you want?

Kana jumped in the air and twisted. Midair, she flipped around in a backflip that looked straight out of SAO before she landed with a light tap of her feet. That was... actually pretty impressive, but after a display like that does she really expect me to believe that she's not a ninja?

Come to think of it, her ninja training was probably what made her so good at her playstyle in SAO. Sneaking around to gather information and using a high-agility build... Those guys that modeled their entire avatar around ninjas weren't even half the ninja that Kana was!

"What I want's pret~ty simple, Kazu-boy," Kana said. She didn't even seem phased by the fact that she'd just jumped from high up. "I just want some proof, that's all."

I sighed. I wish she'd just give this up...

"See, I need ya ta confess," Kana said. "Or at least, I need pictures." She waved her hand. She had a small handheld camera, perfect for taking snapshots and video alike. "Other'n that, I've got th' article all written up. Problem is, nobody'd believe me if I just added it ta the newspaper like that." She shook her head. "Without proof, it'd just be some weird crazy chick writin' stories, right? Be like if I wrote about... uh..."

Ninjas?

"Hey!" Kana frowned at me. Cute... "Ninjas don't exist, so there's no point in writin' about them. But psychics... There's one right in front of me, so that's a scoop. The headline's gonna be amazing, an' it'll be a great way fer me ta start my career as a high school journalist, y'know?"

I shook my head. There's no point to me humoring her like this... So, without another word, I just turned around and left.

For some reason Kana didn't follow me at all, not that I was complaining. The only problem is, if something ridiculous doesn't _immediately_ happen, that just means the universe is saving up for an even more ridiculous event later. In this case, the universe decided to cash in its savings pretty much right away. As soon as I walked outside, I heard Kana's mental voice. _'Here goes, just have to remember to pose...'_

I looked up just as she jumped off of the roof. My eyes widened but before I could do anything she plunged to the ground. Halfway down, she reached and snatched a branch of the nearby tree; it bled off just enough energy that she could jump off of the tree trunk and bounce back towards the school building. _'Hup!'_ She kicked off of the wall and disappeared into the bushes at the base of the tree. Then, looking like she didn't have a care in the world, she emerged from the bushes and brushed some dust off of her shoulders.

"What?" she asked me. "Yer lookin' like ya never saw someone take a shortcut before."

Shortcut - you jumped off of the roof! The only reason you're not a pancake is because you're a ninja!

"Not a ninja," she reminded me. "So c'mon, show me some cool psychic powers or somethin'! Can ya lift somethin' heavy? Maybe fly a lil' bit, that'd be great."

I'm not putting up with this. Not dignifying her badgering with an answer, I kept walking away from the main campus. Kana huffed quietly. _'C'mon, what is _with_ this guy and just walking away? Well, not like he didn't say I couldn't come with him~'_

Maybe I should have said something, because Kana decided the best thing to do was to walk with me down the sidewalk. What will it take to get her to go away? And don't say I should humor her. That's something I absolutely can't do at all. Really, this is the most irritating issue I've had to deal with -

"Oh no!"

"Is it stuck up there?"

"Someone, help the poor thing..."

"Eh?" Kana said. "What's goin' on over there?"

I looked in the direction she'd pointed to see a crowd of people clustered around a tree, staring up at it.

"Mya! Mya!" _'I-I'm not stuck at all, I just don't want to come down at all, that's it...!'_

Oh boy. That's not good. Way up in the branches of the tree, the shivering tabby cat clung tightly to a branch. It was _really_ high up, so high that you'd need really good eyesight to see the cat clearly.

"Aw, poor kitty," Kana said. "I bet it climbed the tree and then couldn't get back down."

Can someone do something? Like, rescue the cat. I saw one person declare they were going to try to climb the tree before a police officer held him back, saying something about it being too dangerous.

...Kana, you're a ninja, right? Can't you save it?

"I can't," Kana said without looking at me. Her gaze was locked on the cat. "I'm not a ninja."

Oh come on. The poor kitty's in trouble! And you're just going to keep claiming you're not a ninja? Is it because people are _watching_ or something? That doesn't matter, just go out there and save the -

I stopped and stared at the look on her face. Kana looked totally, absolutely _miserable_. She'd lowered her head and stared at the ground, but I could still see how distant her stare was. _'I... I want to... but in front of all these people, I can't...'_ "I'm not a ninja," she muttered. Her fists were clenched. "So I can't save it."

Crap. I scratched the back of my head. What the heck am I doing...? Making a girl make that face, that's not cool at all, is it? I sighed and turned around. Up in the tree, the cat shifted and nearly fell off; the gathered watchers all gasped. "Watch out, kitty!" someone called. "Don't move, it's dangerous!"

_'I will move when I want to, human.'_ "Myaa." _'...I just don't want to right now, that's all.'_

Hey, Kana. Even if you're not a ninja... you can still climb things really well, right?

"Huh?" Kana turned to look at me. I didn't really pay attention to her. Instead, I focused my powers and reached out with my mind.

I don't like using this ability. It's incredibly dangerous, even more so than the rest of my powers. If I'm not careful, I could screw up everything forever. But, in this case, it's worth it, I think. So, as soon as I let out a calm breath, I invaded everyone's minds.

This is stupidly dangerous to do. I know I said that already, it bears repeating. But, one of my abilities allows me to temporarily plant ideas in the minds of people within a certain small range. It's not very big; I couldn't use this on my entire school at once unless everyone was gathered together, for example. It was perfect for this situation, though. All I had to do was _flex_ a mental muscle and push the idea into the minds of all of the people staring at the cat: _'Someone else will help, so I should leave.'_

"...I'm going to be late for work if I stay here too much longer..."

"Crap, I have to get home and work on my homework!"

"The show starts soon, gotta go!"

The chatter of voices started up and I relaxed a little bit when the pressure of their thoughts started to lessen a little bit. "What the heck?" Kana muttered. "They're all just..."

If nobody's here, then nobody would see a ninja do something, right?

"Ninjas don't exist," Kana told me. I just shook my head.

I could still hear her jump off of the ground and land in the tree. The leaves rustled as she did _something_ (_'Don't touch me, human!'_ "Myaa!" _'Actually on second thought I will allow you to carry me to the grooooound!'_) and then then landed on the ground behind me again. "Look," she said. "The kitty came down all on her own. I guess she was just scared of all the people."

I turned around to see Kana holding the tabby cat in her arms and scritching the cat gently. The cat seemed to be pretty contented and didn't struggle at all.

I'm glad the cat's safe.

Kana smiled down at the cat. "Yeah. But what happened earlier... Did you use your psychic powers to make everyone leave? I couldn't take a picture, but I _know_ yer a psychic, Kazu-boy."

It looks like your ninja skills came in handy to get up in that tree and save her. I knew you were a ninja, Kana.

Kana snickered. "I'm jus' a normal gal."

And I'm not a psychic.

"Suuuure yer not," Kana said. "Looks like I'm gonna be keepin' an eye on ya from now on."

Please don't. I have enough issues with daily life as is. Having a reporter trying to spy on me is just going to be _such_ a pain.

"Nya hah hah!" Kana giggled. "Noooo way. I still gotta write my article 'bout yer powers, y'know? But I can prob'ly find somethin' else fer my first article."

Well, small mercies exist, at least.

"Maybe 'bout that harem I've heard A-chan's buildin'..." Wait what? "Anyway, I should prob'ly be gettin' goin'," Kana said. "Have to take th' cat home an' all that."

_'I will permit me to take me to your domicile. It should be a suitable place of repose.'_ "Mya!"

"Aww," Kana giggled as the tabby nuzzled against her cheek. "Yer a cutie, kitty."

While Kana was busy with the cat, I turned and started walking. I was late, and Sugu was probably going to be irritated if I didn't show up soon.

"Hey, Kazu-boy!" I looked back at her. "Got room fer one more at lunch?"

...Even if I say no, you'll still show up, won't you?

"Nya hah hah!"

I sighed.

* * *

The next morning, things were finally back to normal. I had to avoid Sugu's attempts at 'accidentally' running into me while she was fresh out of her morning bath, but that was to be expected. Other than that and Rika's usual energetic greeting when I met her and Asuna by the front gates of school, everything was almost peaceful.

At least, until lunchtime.

"Nya hah hah!" Kana laughed cheerfully as she stepped out onto the roof. Asuna and Rika blinked and smiled weakly, while Yuuna stifled a quiet yelp. "Hiya, everyone! Mind if I join ya?"

"Stop appearing out of nowhere like that!" Yuuna griped.

"Do we... know you?" Asuna asked.

"Kazu-boy an' Yuuna do," Kana said. "I'm real good friends with Kazu-boy, ain't that right?"

Even if I say no, she's just going to ignore me.

Asuna smiled. "Well, a friend of Kazuto's is always welcome to join us. Come on, have a seat." Kana grinned and flopped down like a cat, bonelessly flowing into a seated position. All that ninja training paying off again, it looked graceful despite the huge bento she plopped down in front of her.

Yuuna smiled awkwardly at Kana as the totally-a-ninja dug into her lunch with gusto. "Um..."

"Oh, right! Don't worry, I'm not gonna write an article on Kazu-boy," Kana said before Yuuna could even start asking anything.

"Hah!" Rika laughed. "Why'd you want to write about him anyway?"

"N-No reason at all!" Yuuna yelped. "She just wanted to interview him for, uh, some reason or another, right?"

Kana grinned. "Nya hah hah! Not tellin'~. Yer gonna find out what I'm writin' when I publish it."

While the girls began to eat lunch, I sighed. I'm not going to get away from the rest of this, am I? Kana is definitely a ninja, no matter how much she denies it. But... at the very least, things seem like they're calming down a little bit. So, I'm not going to give up a chance at some small measure of peace. Instead of saying something to Kana like 'Leave me alone' or 'Admit that you're a ninja already, this is ridiculous', I just picked up one of Asuna's sandwiches and took a bite.

Ahh... At least there are still some things in this world that make sense.

* * *

**Finally, a **_**normal**_** girl joins the group. Huh? Kana's not normal? Don't be ridiculous. She's a totally average girl. There's no way she could be a ninja or anything like that.**

**Joking aside, this is the core of the high-school group. Five characters is enough for right now, right? I don't want to flood the cast and have a bunch of different people running around all at once, so I'm going to keep things a little bit under control for a few chapters after this. (Of course, this is going to have a huge cast in the end. That's a promise)**

**Other than all of that? Hmm. Well, nothing comes to mind. Except the fact that hooray, Argo joins the Gang~ (Her dialogue makes my spellchecker go nuts, but it's fine. She's worth it)**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed!**


	6. Study Session

**Chapter 6: Study Session**

* * *

**July 12th, 2025**

Oh. Great. I can _feel_ the story's attention back on me. Well, that was a blissful month of not being a main character. Nothing strange happened. No more girls decided to thrust themselves into my lives. I just went to school, dealt with my sister and the girls that I ate lunch with, and lived a peaceful life without problems. I hadn't held my breath, but as June stretched on into July, I'd almost started to think 'Maybe I'm free'.

But no. _Nooooo_. I'm not free. Instead, I'm back in the seat as the MC of this story.

I shook my head. There's really no point to worrying about it. I didn't _really_ think I'd escaped, in the end.

With a shake of my head I went back to taking notes while the teacher lectured. I wasn't the only one scribbling notes in a notebook as fast as possible - everyone was working and taking notes. It was almost scary, in a way. The class was totally and utterly devoted to writing down all the information that was sent our way.

Even when the bell rang and class took a break for lunch, it wasn't like any of that stopped. The guys that normally went to the cafeteria for lunch pulled out their practice books and set to work, and the girls that usually put their desks together all put study material on their desks instead. The scritch-scritch of pencil on paper continued.

I looked up just before the door to my classroom opened. _'Time for the fetching~!'_ "Kazuto, darling!" Yuuna sang from the doorway. "It's time for lunch!"

I'm coming, I'm coming. Do you _really_ have to come fetch me?

"Of course," Yuuna said with a serious nod. "If I don't, then that girl might show up and start bothering you again."

"Nah, ya don't have ta worry 'bout that." Yuuna jumped nearly a meter off the ground from Kana's sudden voice. I didn't flinch, since I'd heard her thoughts approaching. "Nya hah hah! Jumpy, much?"

"Wh-where did you come from?!"

Kana shrugged. "Around."

Very helpful.

"I answered, didn't I?"

I just rolled my eyes. Kana is being deliberately unhelpful, and that's probably not going to change if I know her at all. And I do. After all, I'm **the world's most powerful psychic**, and I can read her thoughts with no problem at all. Unfortunately, I can also read _everyone's_ thoughts constantly, and that _is_ a problem. At least I was used to the constant low-key murmuring in my mind; though right now, almost everyone was focusing on their studies.

"Besides," Kana said with a grin, "I'm never far away from Kazu-boy~. I gotta snap it up if he uses his psychic powers, ya know?" She held up a camera and winked at me.

"P-Psychic powers?" Yuuna stammered. She nibbled at a fingernail and did her best to not look at me. Of course, that meant she looked everywhere _but_ at me in rapid succession. My friend... She's not a good liar. "I-I don't know what you're - I mean, Ka-Ka-Kazuto doesn't have psychic powers, that'd be silly, ahahah..."

"Geez, Yuuna, lighten up~," Kana snickered. "I'm just teasing, that's all." I really wish I could erase her memories of my powers like I did with the other girls. But, she's a reporter and I have a suspicion that she's got notes everywhere. If I removed her memories, she'd just read her notes again and have proof that I had psychic powers! Plus, it'd been over a day since then. Since my powers are absolutely useless in any _real_ situation, I can only erase memories made in the last twenty-four hours.

She's still flustered from the way you appeared out of nowhere, Kana. Like a sneaky ninja.

"Hey! I'm not a ninja, Kazu-boy!"

When the three of us reached the roof, Asuna and Rika were already set up and putting out the food. "Finally!" Rika cheered. "We can _eat_!"

...

One nice thing about eating is that most of the time I don't have to worry about talking. It'd be rude for them to ask me to say something with my mouth full, after all. In other words, as long as I was eating I didn't have to be bothered! It was perfect.

Fortunately, the girls were more than willing to fill up the time with conversation all on their own. "Hey Kana!" Rika said. "I gotta ask, do you do... like, gymnastics or something?"

"Eh? Not really." Kana shrugged. "A lil' bit 'a stuff, but nothin' formal or anythin' like that. How come?"

Rika swallowed a mouthful of one of Asuna's wonderous sandwiches and pointed a finger at the reporter. "Because you're like, super amazing at moving!"

"Eh?"

Meanwhile, Asuna leaned over next to Yuuna. "Oh my gosh, Yuuna, your nails look amazing!"

"Eheheh," Yuuna giggled. "Thanks, Asuna. I painted them last night!" My friend held up her hands and wiggled her fingers. Her nails had a shiny new coat of red nail polish that caught the light. "I love the look."

"What do you mean, eh?" Rika asked Kana. "I'm talking about like, when you sat down today."

Kana blinked. "Sat down? I jus' sat down like normal, whatcha mean?"

Asuna sighed. "I wish I could paint my nails like that. It's not like my mother says I can't, I'm just no good at things like that."

"What do you mean?" Yuuna asked.

"I don't know how to really describe it," Rika said. Her lips twisted in a pout. "Like, you sat down super - Oh, I know what it reminded me of! I help out with the girls' cheerleading team from to time moving equipment and stuff, and you moved super gracefully, like they do!"

"I did, eh?" Kana asked. "Huh. Neat. So that's why ya asked me if I was in somethin' like that? Well, sorry ta disappoint, but I'm part 'a th' go-home club."

Asuna huffed another sigh and lifted her own hands. "It's weird. Like, it's not hard to be careful, it just always comes out looking messy."

Yuuna giggled. "It took me time to get good at it. I can do yours sometime if you'd like, honey."

"Really? That's wonderful, thank you so much Yuuna!"

_'She's a rival for Kazuto's attention, but I can't help but like Asuna - uwaah! D-Don't listen to this, Kazuto!'_

I just took another bite of my lunch. Huh, Sugu made a lot of veggies this time. Is this her way of complaining that I don't make enough for dinner? She could just _say_ something.

_'Wait, you can hear thoughts, right Kazuto?'_ While she thought that, Yuuna casually brought some rice into her mouth from her own box. It seemed very carefully portioned out. Probably idol stuff. _'W-Wait, sorry, that was a silly question.'_

I stared at her.

_'Sh-Shut up. What I meant was, can you hear me? When I'm practicing singing?'_

I nodded.

"Hey Asuna, back me up here!" Rika threw an arm around her friend's shoulders. "Don't you think Kana should join the dancing club or something like that? I've helped them out and they always say they need more girls."

_'Uwaah... That's kind of embarrassing...'_ Yuuna blushed faintly. _'I wanted you to hear my songs when I was performing them for you... But you like them, right?'_

Asuna smiled. "I think Kana would do wonderfully, Rika," she said. "But did you ask _Kana_ whether she wanted to join?"

"Eh?" Rika blinked, and then blushed. "Whoops."

"Nya hah hah!" Kana snickered. "No harm done, gals. An' thankies fer the compliment, but I'm a lil' busy with journalism work."

"Really?" Asuna asked. "The... journalism club, right? They're the ones that sell the papers in the cafeteria, right?"

"Yeppers," Kana said. "That's us!"

Asuna sighed. "They wrote something ridiculous the other day. Why would I have a harem? _How_ would I have a harem? The only boy I spend any time with is Kazuto, and I always eat lunch up here with everyone!"

I swallowed the mouthful of sandwich. Of course I like it, Yuuna.

_'I'm glad...'_ Yuuna giggled.

Kana shrugged. "Dunno, but I thought I did a good job."

"Wait, you wrote that?!"

"Eh? Yeah, didn't ya see my name?" Kana grinned. "Even if it's just a rumor, I'll sniff it out an' report on it. Talked ta a bunch 'a students. Don't worry, I made sure ta put plenty 'a disclaimers that they were only rumors."

Asuna sighed. "I wondered why I was getting so many strange looks... Who would even think something like that?" _'If this keeps up, the love letters are going to start coming just like they did back at my old school...' _Hang on, old school? I thought she went to an all-girls school before this! But then that would mean...

Rika turned to Yuuna. "Hey Yuuna!"

"Hmm?"

"So how's your idol stuff?" Rika grinned. "It sounds like a lot of work."

"It is," Yuuna sighed. "I always get home so exhausted..."

Rika crossed her arms and nodded. "That hard, huh? I feel you there. Sometimes I get home super late because I got roped into a lot of club stuff."

"You do?" Yuuna asked.

"Uh huh! Like, yesterday I helped out the soccer club with practice, and then before I went to get changed out of my gym uniform the swim team asked me to time them..." Rika ticked off two fingers. I stared. She still had three more held up. "And then after I took a shower to wash off the chlorine -"

"Wait, shower?"

Rika grinned at Yuuna's question. "Of course I swam! What do you take me for?" Yuuna giggled. "Anyway, after that the gardening club asked me to help move their stuff to the shed, so I helped them out for a bit. Then the girls volleyball wanted me to set up a net with them, and... What was the last one, I know I had one more... Oh yeah! I almost forgot, the guys at the baseball club wanted me to pitch for a bit. I think that was everything yesterday..."

I stared at the freckled girl. Who has that much energy to do all that in one day?! She can't be human!

"You're as busy as you always are, Rika," Asuna said. She shook her head with a fond smile.

"Heheh! You know it!" Rika said.

The long-haired girl smiled. "It must be rough, finding time to study after helping all of those people."

_'...Aw crap I knew there was something I forgot to do!'_ "Eheheh..." Rika didn't meet Asuna's eyes. "I, uh, I'm totally going to do that! Yeah! As, as soon as I can!"

"Rika," Asuna said sweetly. Rika shuddered. "You _are_ studying, right?"

"Um..."

Asuna sighed. "Oh, honestly. You _know_ we have finals coming up soon, don't you? How can you expect to do well if you slack off on studying!"

"Here it comes, the Class President's famous lecture..." Rika muttered.

Asuna raised a finger. "Grades are important! I know that you're busy with helping other people, but if you don't do well on your midterms then you'll get in a lot of trouble! Maybe even supplemental lessons."

"There's somethin' 'bout her when she's like this," Kana whispered to Yuuna.

"It makes you want to listen to her, right?" Yuuna replied.

Asuna folded her arms. "Well, Rika?"

"I'll study, I'll study. Geez, Miss Bossypants..."

"Good," Asuna nodded firmly. "I hope the rest of you are studying for the tests?"

Yuuna and Kana fidgeted in place but didn't say anything, and Asuna frowned. I scratched my cheek when Asuna's gaze fell on me.

Well, I'm... It's not that I'm _not_ studying, just that... I'm working on it? It's on my to-do list, yeah.

I could tell by Asuna's irritated sigh that she saw through my excuses. "All of you? Studying is very important! If you study for just a few hours every day, you won't have to cram when it's time for finals. That _was_ your plan, wasn't it?"

"Yeah..."

"Uh huh..."

"Actually, I'm good." We all stared at Kana. "What? I keep up with my work. I get good grades."

Asuna shook her head. "Even so, studying is important. Hmm... What do we do..." Her eyes took on a calculating gleam. "In that case, that means we'll have to host a study party. I'm certain that if we all work together, we should be able to prepare for next week's tests, don't you think?"

"I guess," Rika said. "You're the one who knows more about these things. But I'm ready if you are!" She raised a fist in the air. "Who's with me?"

Kana shrugged. "Sounds like fun. 'Specially if Kazu-boy's gonna be there."

I sighed when the girls all looked at me. There really wasn't any way I was going to be able to find a way out of this, was there? It sounds like it's going to be a pain...

Asuna glowered at me. "Ka-zu-to," she said slowly and deliberately.

Fine, fine, you don't need to glare. I'll go to the study session, geez...

So much for trying to avoid trouble. "Thank you," she said. It was like the earlier menace disappeared in an instant. How did she _do_ that?

"I'm a third year, so I can help answer any questions you might have," Yuuna said. "This sounds like it's going to be fun."

"That's the spirit!" Rika cheered. Hey, wasn't she one of the ones that didn't want to do this originally? Her natural enthusiasm sure kicked in fast, huh. "So hey, Asuna, when are we gonna do this?"

Asuna held out her phone. "How about tomorrow? That's probably our only free day before the finals."

Yuuna gasped. "Tomorrow? Oh no!"

"Something wrong?" Rika asked.

"I have idol things tomorrow," Yuuna said. She sighed. "And there's no other day to study, is there..." Asuna shook her head. "Awww, this sucks! I was so looking forward to spending the day with everyone!"

Asuna smiled weakly. "I'm really sorry, Yuuna."

"No, no, no, honey, don't worry!" Yuuna smiled at Asuna. "It's fine, it's my fault for waiting until the last minute to study. Hopefully I won't get in too much trouble if I'm studying at practice."

Asuna gave Yuuna one last glance before she turned to the rest of us. "Alright then, since the rest of us are available, where will we have the meeting?"

Kana shrugged. "Sorry A-chan, I'd love ta have ya over, but my parents don't like havin' guests without a few days ta prepare." Oh yeah? I bet they have to hide all of their ninja equipment.

"That's fine," Asuna said. "The thought is appreciated, thank you."

Rika threw her hand up in the air and waved it around. "My house is open! We can study there!"

"Are you sure?" Asuna asked.

"Uh huh, yeah!"

"And we won't be interrupted by someone coming by to ask for your help?"

"That only happens every... few hours or so, but so what!" Rika grinned. "I'll help them out and then be back to studying in a flash!"

Asuna sighed. "And do you have the books we'll need for studying?"

"They're... probably somewhere! I'll look all night if I have to, but I'll definitely find them!" Rika clenched a fist, and then slowly lowered it. "...Maybe?"

The beautiful long-haired girl sighed again. "Your room is always a mess when I'm visiting, Rika, how would you be able to find anything in that?"

"It's not _that_ bad. ...Okay, maybe it is, but still!"

"Why don't we just meet at my house?" Asuna asked. "I'm certain that if I explain this is for study reasons, my mother will be more than happy to let me host the party!"

"We get to go to your house? Count me in!" Rika grinned and threw an arm around Asuna's shoulders. "You guys, Asuna here is like some sort of rich girl!"

"Rika, stop..." Asuna didn't try to throw her friend's arm off.

"You gotta see it! The place is huge, and super fancy. I bet they could fit like, twenty people in the dining room, no problem!"

_'There she goes, exaggerating again...'_ Asuna shook her head. _'The dining room could only seat eight without squeezing people together, and that would be rude to our guests.'_

Kana snickered. "Nya hah hah! Can't wait ta see A-chan's room. Bet it's all cute an' pink!"

"H-Hey!"

Great, and I already said I was going to go... Beside me, Yuuna looked a little put out. _'I can't believe she's using this chance to get Kazuto into her room! I wanted to see it too... Darling, you have to be careful around her since I'm not there to protect you!'_

I'm pretty sure that's not why she's doing this whole thing, Yuuna. She's really serious about this whole studying together thing.

_'If you say so. I'm not convinced...'_

Seriously, it's fine. She's not thinking anything of the sort.

Asuna smiled at something that Kana said and replied to the journalist. Meanwhile, her thoughts kept pressing at me. _'I can't believe I managed to invite everyone over! I hope Mother lets them come... It'll be much easier to learn if everyone is working together.'_

Okay, so maybe she's not all about the studying. But it's not like she's setting this up just so that I'll be in her room or something like that!

I sighed. Despite doing my best, the instant the focus of the story was back on me I get roped into this. My peaceful NPC life is further and further away every day. Come back to me, before it's too late!

* * *

Naturally I told my sister my plans for the study session during breakfast the next day. She didn't bat an eyelash when I told her I would be busy studying with people from school for most of the day, so she'd be on her own for lunch. "Okay," she said instead and picked up her mug. "I'm glad I'll get the house all to myself." _'This suuuuucks! I was looking forward to spending the day with Kazuto! But... maybe he'll forget to lock his door before he leaves and I can go look around in his room!'_

Thank you for reminding me, Sugu. I will be extra careful to lock my room up before I leave.

Just be careful to not trash the house or fall into the pond or something like that, Sis. I won't be around to help you out.

"Hey, that's not fair," she complained. Her pout was pretty fierce, but it wasn't effective against me. "I'm not a kid anymore, you know!" _'Eheheh! Kazuto is worried about me! I knew he loved me!'_

Despite the bubbles she blew in her milk to feign irritation, I could read her mind. I knew she was doing her best to hold back a smile.

After I cleaned up breakfast I went up to my room to collect the books and notes I'd need to practice for the finals tomorrow. Math and science were my strong suits, but some of my other grades could use some work. I could go over the other ones with the girls during our study session and make sure I would get good grades in them.

I know what you might be thinking. Why am I, the **world's most powerful psychic**, studying for a test when I could just read minds and get the answers that way? Well, the answers are pretty simple. One, there was no guarantee people in the class were right. Some questions were so tough everyone got them wrong. And two, that's cheating. It's like in games - if you cheat to get to the top of the leaderboard, it wasn't worth anything.

As I was about to leave, my phone rang. When I pulled it out of my pocket, I didn't recognize the number at all.

Hello?

"Kazuto? This is Asuna." ...How did she get my number?! I don't remember giving it to her, and she definitely didn't ask me! "Sorry... This might be some bad news, but I can't host the study party at my house. Unfortunately, Mother and Father are entertaining guests this evening, and they need the whole day to make sure the house is clean."

So... what does this mean?

"I was hoping you could have us over instead?" Asuna giggled. "I'd suggest the library, but... I think Rika got banned for the month after being too loud. I'm not sure how she broke the ten-strike rule in under an hour, but..." Huh? There's a ten-strike rule? And Rika broke it in an hour?

...Actually, I'm not so surprised about that second part, all things considered.

I looked around the house. Hmm... My room is definitely too small, but the living room should be big enough for all of us to sit around the table and study. Yeah, you can come here -

Wait... This might be a mistake. "Really? Thanks, Kazuto!" Asuna smiled. "I'll get Rika and we can be at your house in about an hour or so. I don't know where Kana lives, but hopefully it shouldn't take too long for her to get there."

After Asuna hung up, I sighed. Great... Asuna has this way of just getting me to agree to things, even if I don't really want to. And now I'm going to have all three of the girls in my house! There's no way this is going to end poorly.

"Kazuto?" Sugu poked her head out of the living room. "Is something wrong? I heard your phone ring."

No, nothing's wrong (Except for the part where I've become the main character of a ridiculous story). Just that the first location didn't work out, so they'll be coming here to study.

"Here?" Sugu blinked. "Whoa... Kazuto's bringing friends home... Mom is gonna be so happy!"

Don't be mean.

"Does that mean Yuuna is going to be here?"

Probably not. She had idol practice today.

"Oh, okay." _'Good! I can't trust her near Kazuto at all! Even if she seems like a nice person...'_ "Maybe if you're hosting, you should prepare snacks or something?"

That's... actually a pretty good idea. Thanks, Sugu.

Sugu beamed like my simple thanks had been a compliment and a headpat rolled into one, and then headed upstairs. Meanwhile, I dropped my bag off in the living room and started gathering a plate of cookies. The girls should enjoy snacking on these. Rika will probably gobble them all down immediately, so I'll make an extra-large plate.

My phone rang again. "Hi Kazuto," Asuna said when I answered it. "Rika and I are on the train now. I called Kana five minutes ago and told her where your house was, but she hung up immediately after that so I don't know how long it'll take for her to get there."

_Knock knock knock_

_'Ooooh, Kazu-boy's house is pretty nice.'_

Hmm, I wonder who could be at the door. When I opened it up, Kana grinned at me. "Surprise~! I was close by, so guess I'm first!"

You totally used your ninja skills to get here.

"What ninja skills? Ninjas don't exist." That's a lie. She probably just hopped across rooftops or something like that. But she was dressed in casual clothes and didn't seem so much as winded, so maybe she walked.

I would say she looked strikingly different out of the school uniform, but those words were reserved for the other girls. Kana just wore her usual brown jacket with a brown shirt and some comfortable-looking pants underneath. I _wonder_ what her favorite color could possibly be... But wasn't that hot? It's the middle of the summer and she's wearing a coat.

Well, since you're the only one here, you might as well come in. Asuna and Rika should be here in about ten minutes.

"Nya hah hah! Thankies fer th' invitation. I'm comin' in."

Like I expected, Kana spent the next ten minutes scurrying around the living room and sniffing for any hint of a story. _'Dang it! I would have thought he'd have evidence he's psychic somewhere!'_ Like what?! A publication to the "So You're A Psychic" magazine?! _'Maybe in his room...'_

"Hey, Kazu-boy~," Kana began with a throaty purr.

No.

Kana blinked, and then her mouth split into a wide grin. "Nya hah hah! I haven't even asked if I could go to yer room yet, an' yer shuttin' me down? Yer never gonna be popular with th' gals like that~."

The only reason she wants to go into my room is because she's convinced I have evidence that I'm a psychic in there. That's absolutely not happening. Letting the girls into my house is bad enough, but letting them into my room? That's just asking for something cliché like tripping onto the bed or one of the others walking in right at an easily misunderstood moment.

"Awww." Kana pouted, but I wasn't affected. No matter how cute she was, I wasn't going to let her into my room! _'Maybe if I...'_

Before she could keep trying to get me to let her into my bedroom, someone else knocked on the door. I already knew Rika and Asuna were approaching, so it was the perfect excuse. _'I wonder who's coming over. I haven't met any of Kazuto's friends before!'_ Aaaand, of course Sugu's coming down from her room.

The knocking paused for a second before it became a lot more insistent, and I sighed. Rika must have started knocking instead of Asuna. I'll go open the door before she breaks it down. When I opened the door and stared at Rika, she lowered her fist with a sheepish grin.

Stop hitting it so hard, you'll dent the door.

She and Asuna were both wearing casual clothes. Unlike Kana, though, they had a whole different look from the standard day-to-day uniform. Rika had a loose pink blouse on with some shorts that showed off her legs, toned from the physical activities she always threw herself into. Asuna stood next to her and looked dazzling in her black dress, a thin white cardigan on top.

"I told you," Asuna hissed at her friend.

"Yeah, yeah, it's fine, isn't it?" Rika said back.

_'Holy crap! Is this his little sister? What does she _eat_?!'_ And I see Kana has met Sugu.

Come on in. Kana already got here.

"Thank you for letting us come by on such short notice," Asuna said as she and Rika took their shoes off. "I'm glad I remembered the way to your house, Kazuto."

Rika stared at her friend. "Oh yeah, how _did_ you know the way? Wait! Did you get up to something with Kazuto when I wasn't looking? You go, girl!" She nudged her friend in the side.

It's nothing like that, honest.

I'm glad for my psychic ability to control my physical reactions, or I'm pretty sure my cheeks would be as red as Asuna's turned. "Rika!" Asuna squealed. "Don't say things like that, you'll give people the wrong idea!"

Rika laughed cheerfully, and the loud sound summoned my sister from the living room. She walked out and stopped in the hallway, where she stared at Asuna and Rika. _'More girls?! This isn't fair! And he's going to be alone with them for hours!'_ "You must be Kazuto's friends."

"Who's that?" Rika whispered.

"Kazuto's little sister," Asuna whispered back.

Rika's eyes widened and she stared at a particular part of Sugu. "Holy crap!" she yelped. "What do you _eat_?!"

Huh. I'm not surprised that Rika is the only one to have said it out loud, even when the other girls all thought it. Asuna blushed. "Rika!"

"What, you know you were all thinking it too."

"Eheheh..." Sugu laughed and rubbed the back of her head. "It's nothing special. Just lots of food with protein."

Sugu practices kendo. And also eats a lot of junk food.

"Hey!" Sugu frowned. "No I don't."

And who keeps eating ice cream out of the carton?

Sugu pouted.

"Isn't kendo very difficult?" Asuna asked.

Sugu nodded. "Mmhm! I go out and practice every morning. I have a competition coming up soon, so I have to be in great shape."

"Whoa, that's awesome!" Rika exclaimed. "Hey, how about you show me a few moves?"

"Sure!" Sugu said. _'I wish Kazuto was the one to ask me that instead of her. Still, it's neat she's into kendo.'_

Asuna reached out and caught Rika by the back of her blouse. "Before you run off, Rika," she said, "we have studying to do."

Rika slumped in Asuna's grip like a kitten picked up by the scruff of its neck. "But Asuna," she whined.

"Don't 'but Asuna' me, Rika. You know you promised."

The brunette let out a huge sigh. "Fiiiiine. Let's get started, then! I'm all pumped up!"

...

"Asunaaaa!" Rika wailed as she slumped onto the table and rested her cheek on her homework. "I don't get iiiiit."

"Sit up and let me see," the beautiful long-haired girl said. She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear and peered at Rika's math papers. "Oh, I see the problem. You didn't factor first before starting the integral."

Rika stared at Asuna like she'd just started speaking a second language. In her defense, I didn't really understand any of it either, even if I picked up bits and pieces from my telepathy.

This close, it was impossible to ignore. Asuna tended to work things through in a very methodical manner where she broke down the problem in her head first, before she put pen to paper and started solving it. Rika, on the other hand, bulled head-first through the problem. As for Kana...

...Well, she was out exploring the backyard. _'Oooh, this thing looks deep! Wonder if there're any fish...'_ When Asuna had asked her what she'd be studying, the mousey girl had just grinned and told us, "I don't need ta study or anythin'. M' grades are already pretty good." So, while the rest of us sat in the living room and grappled with vocab and equations, she kept sniffing around.

Eventually she came back in and flopped down on the couch. Her boneless (but still somehow graceful) sprawl ended with her watching us, curled up next to Sugu. My little sister had, entirely by 'coincidence', remembered that she had homework of her own to work on and had joined us.

"Whoa, that makes a lot of sense now, Asuna!" Rika scribbled down the answer to her problem on the page and threw her hands in the air. "Got it!"

"Good job, Rika," Asuna said. "Now the next one."

"Yeah!" Rika grinned and bent over her page. "You're not gonna beat me, math!"

Asuna smiled and returned to her seat at the table. Sugu closed her notebook and stood up to grab another book from her bag. When she sat down again, she was noticeably closer to me than before. _'I-if Kazuto asks, I'll just tell him I wanted to give Miss Izawa more room. It's just coincidence that I ended up nearer! That's right, coincidence!'_ You're not fooling anyone Sugu, you've been shifting closer all afternoon.

I reached out to grab a cookie to munch on while reviewing some assigned reading, and Asuna twitched. _'Now!'_ I didn't have enough time to react before her hand snuck out. Naturally, our hands bumped over the plate. "Oh!" she giggled. "I'm sorry, Kazuto. Go ahead."

No, you're the guest here.

"Thank you." She smiled at me and picked up a cookie. _'Yes! I touched him!'_ On the couch, Sugu grumbled under her breath.

Actually, Asuna, if you have a second, could you explain this bit here?

"Hmm? Let me take a look at your book," Asuna said. Like I'd expected, she took the chance to move around the table and take a seat next to me. She leaned her head over and peered at the part of the book I was reading, and I held back my sigh. She was doing this on purpose.

Sugu thought the exact same thing about Asuna's 'coincidental' closeness to me, and she practically vibrated in her seat until Asuna sat up and explained the passage I was stuck on.

I had to say, though. The beautiful girl was amazing at this sort of thing. She worked hard to earn that top level spot in our school rankings. The way she explained the subtext, everything made perfect sense! I couldn't even remember why I had been stuck in the first place.

As soon as Asuna shifted a little bit and opened up the tiniest amount of space, Sugu plopped herself between us. _'Eheheh! I'm sitting pressed up to Kazuto! This is the best day ever!'_ "Kazuto, could you explain how to solve this problem?" she asked me. I glanced at the book. It was a pretty simple math question that Sugu could probably solve with her eyes closed. ...But she was my little sister, so I leaned over and helped her with the problem anyway.

There you go, Sis. Make sense now?

"Yeah!" Sugu beamed at me. "Thanks, Kazuto." _'Heh! He never helped Asuna like that! So clearly that makes me the winner!'_

Sigh...

...

"Uuuuugh," Rika groaned as she fell forward and stretched out across the table again. "I want to be dooooone..."

"You haven't finished the worksheet," Asuna pointed out. When Rika sighed and sat up, picking up her pencil and twirling it in her hand dexterously, Asuna went back to her own work.

The way her mind was totally focused on whatever problem she was working on, and how she never gave up until she finished it - it reminded me a lot of the thoughts I could hear when I was listening to people doing their best to grind until they were the top of the leaderboard.

Huh. She might be good at SAO, come to think of it.

Asuna placed her hands on the table and sat up straight. "Alright! We're almost done. So, I think I can let you all know something interesting."

Huh? "Huh?" Rika echoed.

"If you push through and finish the rest of the worksheets," Asuna said, "I'll bring extra sandwiches during the testing period."

I blinked.

I looked at Asuna, then at Rika. The sporty girl met my gaze.

"Oraaa!" Rika shouted as she set to work, pen scribbling across the page.

_'Whoa, I've never seen Kazuto this excited...'_ Sugu stared at me as I blew through question after question.

There were sandwiches on the line now! I wasn't going to let this slip through my hands!

* * *

When Sugu and I stepped out of the house the next day, I wasn't surprised to see Yuuna standing at the end of our driveway, smiling and holding her bag in front of her. "Morning, Darling!" she sang.

You're here early.

"Well, of course! The girls spent so much time with you yesterday, I just _had_ to make sure you were okay!"

Because that's your total motivation, naturally. Yuuna just smiled peacefully while she walked with the two of us.

A few minutes after dropping Sugu off at her school entrance, Yuuna and I were joined by Asuna and Rika. I blinked. They usually met us at the gate. It was rare for us to beat them. "Oh hey, what's - oh no, honey, what's the matter!" Yuuna exclaimed as soon as she saw Asuna.

The long-haired girl smiled weakly. Her face was pale and she was moving slowly, with Rika hovering over her every step of the way. "I'm... okay. I'm just feeling a little... under the weather..."

"And I'm saying, you're burning up!" Rika snapped. She practically held Asuna up when the girl wobbled on her feet. "You should be at home, sleeping it off, not coming to take a test."

"I can't... I have to... do this..." _'I can't miss this. I promised Mother...'_

I sighed. Sheesh, this girl just refused to give up, huh? Asuna has her sights set on this test. I guess... I guess I can help her out, a little bit. When Asuna wobbled again, I reached out and tapped her wrist for an instant.

It didn't take much for me to be able to use my Rejuvenation power. I just needed to touch whatever I wanted to restore. On humans, it took a little bit to take hold (especially since I wanted to make sure that it was unnoticeable, since I couldn't see Kana and that was dangerous) but in ten minutes or so Asuna would feel like she did yesterday. That's a key distinction, too. My power only lets me restore someone or something up to twenty-four hours. In other words, in ten minutes Asuna's physical state today would be the same as it was yesterday, and in twenty-four hours she'd get sick again.

But she'd get to take the tests, at least.

"Don't worry!" Yuuna said. "I know everything is going to go great for everyone!"

"And how do you know that?" Rika asked. "Asuna can barely stand!"

"I'm starting to feel better..."

"Shush," Rika said.

Yuuna giggled. "Well, yesterday during one of my breaks from dancing or singing, I can't remember which, I had a cup of tea! The honey does wonders for the throat, you know. And when I looked at the tea leaves, I could tell that we were going to do great on our tests."

The leaves? Really, Yuuna?

Yuuna crossed her arms. _'Oh come on, you're complaining about that when you have psychic powers?'_

...You have a point.

"Hey, I'll take all the luck I can get!" Rika said. "And I'm ready to get in there and do this! I'm totally fired up!"

I leaned away from the blazing aura that surrounded her. Seriously, she's way too energetic for this early in the morning…

...

"Your test time begins now," Ms. Ryoko said.

The sound of paper flipping over filled the air. I stared at the first question and let out a slow breath before I started to work on my midterms.

Twenty minutes into the test, I arched my back to stretch. This was... actually really easy. The first few pages were all information that I'd studied with the girls, and for the questions I'd gotten to now, I just needed to apply the techniques Asuna taught me. It was almost like I could hear her voice next to me, explaining what I was looking at in a calm and patient manner.

It was honestly really helpful, and I blew through the test.

_'Rrrr... Why can't I figure this out...!'_

Not everyone was having as easy a time as I was, though. The girl sitting next to me, the one with brown-grey hair, was staring at the paper in front of her like it had insulted her. It's unfortunate, but there's nothing I can really do about that.

Trying to block her thoughts out of my mind, I went back to my next question.

_Crack!_

I jumped in my seat at the sharp sound. Half of a pencil clattered to the ground between me and the girl to my right, splintered on the end. I glanced at it, then at her. She stared at the ground, the second half of the pencil clutched in her hand. _'No, no no no, I broke it! Now I can't finish the test - no, I need to take a deep breath. Control myself...'_ After a second, the girl let out a heavy sigh. _'What do I do now...? That was my only pencil.'_

That really sucks for her, but she should have brought more than one pencil. Being prepared is part of the test, right?

...Why can I feel Asuna's judgmental stare from here? I just want to live a peaceful life without standing out or doing anything to draw attention to myself. This is just going to be a pain in the end, right?

When I raised my hand, the mental Asuna's disapproving look changed into a sunny smile that warmed my heart.

"Yes, Kirigaya?" Ms. Ryoko said.

I dropped my pencil.

Ms. Ryoko nodded and knelt down. "Which one is yours?"

The broken one.

She nodded and handed me the shard. "Be more careful in the future. And you should have a pencil that's not broken for the test." Then, she turned to the girl next to me. "Karatachi, did you drop yours too?"

"Eh? Y-Yes..." _'But this one isn't mine... Mine's the broken one...'_ Of course it's not yours. I dropped my pencil on the floor too, and took hers.

Besides, having a broken pencil isn't the end of the world. I had others, and if their tips snapped I could always just use my Rejuvenation power to reset the pencils to their state yesterday. It's not really a big deal.

_'That boy helped me... That was so nice...'_

Hopefully she forgets all about that over break.

* * *

**July 19th, 2025**

"Hooray!" Yuuna cheered. "I'm so glad everyone got great grades!"

"Congratulations everyone," Asuna added. _'Maybe now they'll study properly, instead of waiting until the last minute. Oh, but going to Kazuto's house was... really nice.'_

I ignored the way she stole a glance at me before she looked away, her cheeks darkening. This is just a crush. I'm sure it'll play out eventually, and it's better I don't say anything about it.

Kana snickered. "Guess yer lil' tea leaves were right, Yuuna."

"And Kazuto doubted me." Yuuna giggled and folded her arms. "Aren't you going to say anything, Darling? Like maybe, 'I'm so sorry for doubting you, Miss Shigemura'?"

Absolutely not.

"Awww."

I ignored Yuuna's pout. How the heck did Kana even know about what Yuuna had said? I hadn't seen her around when Yuuna mentioned the tea leaves prediction a few days ago, and she hadn't mentioned it since then. Sheesh. Her ninja skills were pretty scary.

"But it's a good thing you didn't get sick until finals were over, honey," Yuuna said. "I would have felt so _bad_ if you got sick halfway through!"

Asuna smiled. "It wouldn't be anyone's fault, Yuuna."

"But I'd still feel bad anyway."

Rika fell backwards onto her back and stared up at the sky with a huge smile on her face. "Hey, I'm just glad that's over! Your tea leaves were super useful, Yuuna! Totally on the ball!"

"I'm glad, honey," Yuuna giggled.

It was probably just luck. Or maybe Asuna's iron-fisted insistence that we study all day. Still, I couldn't _totally_ rule out that she was right and that the tea leaves had predicted the future. I mean, sure it sounded ridiculous, but then again so did the thought that I could transform into any human I could imagine, or read thoughts, or move things with my mind. I even had a precognition power of my own, even thought it was frustratingly unreliable.

Rika grinned a little bit wider and then threw a fist up in the air. "Anyway! Now that _that's_ done, we can get to the fun part of summer! Goofing off for summer break!"

Asuna sighed and shook her head. "Rika, we do have work to do..."

"Who cares? That's laaaater." Rika sat up. "We have so much time before it's due!"

"That aside..." Asuna shook her head and smiled at us. "We really did a good job on the finals, so I think it's a good idea to celebrate that. How does everyone feel like a picnic tomorrow?"

A picnic? All the girls nodded and agreed that it was a great idea. Hmm... Well, it would mean a chance to get out of the house and away from Sugu -

"And you should bring Suguha along, Kazuto," Asuna said. "I would really like a chance to get to know her better." _'If I can get Suguha on my side, then it'll be easy!'_

Heh. Good luck trying to convince my brocon of a sister that you should be allowed to date me. Seriously, this crush of hers can't go away fast enough. Once it does, I'll be back to a peaceful, generic life as a background NPC.

"Other than a picnic tomorrow, does anyone have plans?" Rika asked. "For the summer, I mean."

"Nah," Kana said, and folded her arms behind her head. "I'm pret~ty much free, 'cept fer keepin' up on anythin' interestin' goin' on."

Yuuna hummed in thought for a second. "Well, I have practice a lot of the time, but if you give me some time to prepare then I'm sure I can talk to my manager!"

"Great! Man, this is gonna be great! We're gonna have so much fun this summer!"

Well... Maybe some fun won't be such a bad idea after all. There's still a few more weeks before SAO gets released for real, so why not spend it with everyone until then?

* * *

**The most dreaded of foes, finals! But they've managed to valiantly defeat their enemy, and for the Last Attack Bonus they receive the gift of a month off in summer. Imagine the things they'll get to do over the summer!**

**...Avoid going outside, in Kazuto's case. Probably. But that's fine, he's just doing his best to avoid being a main character, and that means turning himself into a hermit.**

**Other than that, I'm pretty happy with how the chapter turned out. The girls really felt like being chatty this time, so I wasn't going to stop them. Besides, that's the point of this story! Letting them talk is part of the fun. Most of the chapter was devoted to the preparation for the test, because the test itself wasn't very interesting; there's not much for Kazuto to do, since he doesn't want to use his powers to cheat. At least he was able to help out that girl, after mental prodding from Asuna.**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or left a review.**


	7. Fun in the Sun

**Chapter 7: Fun in the Sun; or, The Beach Episode**

* * *

**July 26th, 2025**

I, Kazuto Kirigaya, have found myself in a horrible situation.

Now, you might be saying to yourself, 'He's a psychic, right? So how bad could it be?' Let me tell you, it's not all sunshine and roses being **the world's most powerful psychic**. Actually, it really sucks. My powers are unrivaled, that's true enough, but at the same time the drawbacks are incredibly not worth it.

But, that is besides the point. My current problem, for once, doesn't have anything to do with my psychic powers. Instead... I was bored.

...What? It's not _my_ fault. By this point, I was almost used to my life being non-stop problems brought on by the girls that continue to surround me. Every single one of them was a pain from the beginning, and it's not like they make my school days any easier. That's the root of the problem, though. It's only been a week since the start of summer vacation, and already I've run out of fun things to do.

How is that possible when I'm a powerful psychic? Easy. I hate using my powers. It's not like I can take a relaxing flight out to Hawaii or something like that. And I spent the last week doing my summer homework, so it's not like I could do that. Going _outside_ was totally out of the question, too. Even if I didn't have to deal with everyone's thoughts pushing at me constantly, that would just be annoying.

I sighed and scrolled down the page. There wasn't even any game news I could read. Everyone was talking about SAO since it was going to be released in just a week, but I was a beta tester. Everything they knew was from the small amount of information we were allowed to talk about without violating the agreement we'd signed. And the few other things, like interviews with Kayaba... Well, I already knew all about that. Normally, I'd be reading and re-reading the interviews just to scrape together any little bit of information I could.

Turns out that your perspective changes when you can regularly email the head of development.

After a few more minutes of fruitlessly scrolling through the same game news sites in case something new had been posted since the last time I checked a minute ago, I sighed again and got up. A few steps and I sank down on my bed and stared at the ceiling. Nothing to do...

_'I wonder if Kazuto would like some ice cream? Ooh! Maybe this time I offer, he'll stop being boring and come out of his room! Then we can sit on the couch together and I can accidentally lean over and rest my head on his shoulder! That's a great idea!'_

Someone knocked on my door. Well, I already knew who it was, thanks to my little sister's non-stop thoughts about how much she loved me. "Kazuto?" Sugu asked through the door. "I'm making a bowl of ice cream, did you want any?"

I'm surprised you're using a bowl, Sugu. But aren't you gonna gain weight if you eat that much ice cream?

"Hey!" _'I-I'm not getting fat, am I?'_ "You shouldn't say things like that to a girl, Kazuto. Hmph."

Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I'm good.

_'Darn it! My plan for cuddle time with Kazuto didn't work out at all! I have to plan better...'_ "...Okay, suit yourself," Sugu said. I heard her footsteps go down the hall and steps.

Sheesh. My little sister is such a handful. That's the other reason I'm happy to just stay in my room and play games all summer long if I can help it. It means I don't have to worry about her obsession with me. Sure I don't get much sunlight or go outside or anything like that, but that's fine. I still have my games.

Speaking of the other games I own, I need to sit down and work on a few of them before SAO comes out. But it's so _hot_... Even with my powers, the heat is draining my energy to do anything at all. Nobody could be excited on a day like today, it's way too hot -

_Vrrrt vrrt vrrt_

I groaned and sat up. Who would be calling my phone? I don't even give out my number to people. I think the only ones that have it are Sugu and Mom, Asuna, and Yuuna. Mom and Sugu's thoughts don't sound like either one is calling me for some reason. And Yuuna's super busy with idol practice, she wouldn't have the _time_ to call me.

When I picked up my phone, I frowned. I didn't recognize the number, which meant it was probably spam. I didn't feel like dealing with that at the moment, since it was way too hot to listen to a robocall, so I declined the call and put my phone down. There, now I could go back to relaxing and lazing about in peace -

_Vrrrt vrrt vrrt_

The same number was calling me again. I grumbled under my breath and picked up. Hello?

"Finally!" I winced and pulled the phone away from my ear. "About time you picked up!"

Rika?! How do you have my number? And why are you calling in the first place?

"Asuna gave it to me, but who cares!" I could almost see Rika wave her hands around. Actually, no, that's just the mental image in her mind right now. Thanks, power. You're _super_ helpful. "We're going to the beach, so be ready in fifteen minutes!"

Huh?!

"Beach! Bea-ch! Y'know, that awesome place with sun, sand, and surf!" And now the mental image in Rika's mind had shifted to a beautiful summer day, with her and Asuna playing in the water. N-No, I'm not looking at it, even though they're in bikinis in Rika's mind. "I already called Asuna and she's on board, so you're up, buster! And you can't say no!"

I can't?

Rika scoffed. "Who'd want to say no to spending the afternoon at the _beach_? So hurry up and get ready, because we're meeting at the train station in fifteen minutes!"

Before I could react at all, she hung up. Instead, I stared at my phone. It was practically radiating heat from Rika's blazing aura of energy. Where does she find it?! Still, there's no reason for me to go to the beach, of all places. Why would I even want to -

_Vrrt vrrt vrr-_

"And Asuna's bringing sandwiches for lunch!"

Oh. Well, in that case, I'd better get ready.

Sugu looked almost shocked after I came downstairs. "Huh? Kazuto? What's going on?"

I'm heading out for the day with friends from school.

"Friends from school..." _'Wait, is he talking about those girls from two weeks ago?! Is he going to be spending the whole day with them too? I can't let that happen! If he's alone with them, who knows what they'll do!'_ Sugu tilted her head. "Where are you guys going?" she asked innocently. Too bad for you, I can read your mind! I know exactly what you're thinking.

That being said, I couldn't exactly lie to my little sister. It'd end poorly if Mom heard and grounded me, right before SAO was released. We're going to the beach, Sugu.

"The beach?" _'Nooo! They're trying to seduce him with their swimsuits, I know it!'_ "Huh... That actually sounds like a lot of fun. Do you think they'd mind if I come?"

Um... Asuna and the others probably wouldn't care, but do you even have a swimsuit? I know you're...

_'I'm so glad I got one earlier, just in case something like this happened! I knew being prepared would pay off!'_ Sugu poked her fingers together. "W-well, I got one, but I haven't worn it yet. And it's okay! I can just play on the beach."

Well, I'm leaving for the station in five minutes, with or without -

She'd already disappeared upstairs by the time I finished giving her the time limit. I heard thumps followed by a single loud crash, then more thumps. Three minutes after she disappeared, Sugu raced back downstairs with a full bag. "I've got everything, Kazuto," she said. "Let's go!"

...

We're here, Sugu.

"Okay." _'Awww, couldn't the ride take longer? I just love love love hugging him and pressing my face against his back! Kazuto's so warm!'_ Unfortunately, we only had the one bike, so Sugu got to make the excuse of riding with me to wrap her strong arms around my waist tightly. It only took a little bit longer than it really should have for my little sister to let go of me and slide off the back of the bike. Once she did, I locked it up and we headed to the station.

Now, where would Asuna and Rika be waiting for me?

"Heeeey! Over here!"

I think the wild waving and loud shouting would be a good starting place to look.

"Rika!" Asuna hissed as we approached her. "Stop shouting, people are staring."

"So what? Let them stare!"

"I can't take you anywhere..." Asuna shook her head, but smiled at me and Sugu when we stopped in front of them. "Hello, Kazuto. And Sugu! It's good to see you."

Sugu smiled and gave a little wave. "Hi, Asuna." _'Ugh... why does she have to be so _nice_? It's impossible to not like her, but she's a love rival!'_ No she's not. It's just a crush, and it'll go away soon enough. "Sorry for joining in, but it sounded like a lot of fun."

"Of course not! You're always welcome." _'This is a chance! I can get closer to Suguha, and then that'll be perfect!'_ Great, it looks like my sister and my friend will be clinging to each other the entire trip. "Next time, I'll definitely remember to invite you," Asuna said.

"Alright, alright! Time to go, go, go!" Rika started shoving us along. "We're burning daylight, ladies and Kazuto!"

Asuna giggled even as she protested, "Rika! Stop!"

"Not until we're on the train and on our way! Let's go!"

Once we were on the train, Rika plopped right down on the seat while Asuna and Sugu hovered around me awkwardly. _'I'm going to sit next to Kazuto!'_ Sugu thought, clenching her fists.

Meanwhile, Asuna's thoughts were almost the same. _'I want to sit next to Kazuto, but Rika...'_

This is ridiculous. I folded my arms and took the seat next to Rika, which was also right next to the railing. There wasn't anywhere for Sugu or Asuna to sit next to me. Both girls seemed almost shocked for a second before they rallied and took their seats across from the two of us. I glanced at Rika and she seemed fine with the seating arrangements, already leaning forward to talk to Asuna.

Of course, her thoughts told a different story. _'C-c-c-close! He's close!'_

Sigh. Why can't my life be normal, ever?

* * *

"Woohoo!" Rika shouted as soon as we stepped out onto the beach. "We made it to the beeeeach!"

The sun shone down on pristine sand with waves crashing against the beach. I could smell salt from here, carried by a playful breeze that ruffled my hair and clothes. At least the beach Rika chose was pretty empty, without too many people running around and playing. Sure, there were a few others spending the day relaxing in the sun and playing in the crystal-blue water, but there was enough beach that we probably wouldn't have to worry about disturbing anyone.

Asuna smiled. "This was a great idea, Rika. I'm glad you thought of it. And I'm glad you two could make it, Kazuto, Suguha."

"Well, it's not like my big brother was doing anything other than laze around in his room, the bum," Sugu said. "Though isn't Yuuna usually here with you?"

"I called her and Kana," Asuna said. She shook her head and tucked a lock of hair behind her ear as the breeze played with it. "Unfortunately, Yuuna was pretty sure she had practice today, so she probably won't be with us. And Kana didn't answer her phone, so I'm not sure what she's up to."

"Yuuna's not going to be here? That's a shame." _'Hooray! That's one less rival to worry about!'_ There's no rivals here at all! Because Yuuna's crush will end soon enough and you're not in the running at all, Sugu!

"Alright, ladies," Rika said as she turned around and planted hands on her hips. "Let's go get changed. Kazuto, you're in charge of getting a good spot and setting up a blanket and stuff, got it?"

Yeah, yeah. Just give me your blanket and stuff.

"Thank you, Kazuto. That's very nice of you." If it had been anyone else, I might have assumed they were patronizing me, but Asuna's smile was so sweet there was no way she wasn't being genuine.

Thanks for at least pretending I had a choice in all of this, I guess. While the girls all hurried off to get changed, I wandered down to just above the water line and started setting up our blankets and everything like that. Once that was done I stretched and yawned, then took a seat on the blankets. I'd set up everything underneath one of the umbrellas, so the shade felt great. After a little bit, I stared out at the ocean and wondered how much longer the girls would take?

_'Ungh... I don't remember it being this tight when I bought it...'_

_'I still can't believe she's his little sister with _that_ chest! Wonder how they feel?'_

_'Hey! Those are suh-supposed to be reserved for Kazuto only! I have to tell Rika to quit it!'_

_'Sigh...'_

_'Oh crap, I made Asuna so depressed! ...But Sugu's boobs felt great...'_

My cheeks didn't so much as flush. What? I've heard way worse with my telepathy than my little sister getting 'skinship' from another girl. I stay up later at night playing games, and there's a lot of things people do once most kids are asleep. They also _love_ to broadcast it to the world in their thoughts.

To ignore what was going on over there, I started going through the bags to see if there was anything else they'd like me to get ready. Asuna was super thorough, packing plenty of towels for everyone along with sunscreen and anything else we might want for the day. Rika, on the other hand, just had a backpack with stuff shoved haphazardly in all the pouches. Sugu's duffel bag was mostly the stuff I expected her to bring; an extra change of clothes, a bunch of water bottles, and even a wooden sword just in case. How... expected of my kendo-loving little sister.

Then I stumbled onto the cooler filled with food that Asuna had brought with her. Just the sight of those delicious, perfect sandwiches - cut into triangles and packed with ice to make sure they stayed cool, even in the punishing sun - made my mouth water. The way the crisp lettuce and tomatoes highlighted the chicken! Ahhh, they looked so amazing, I could barely stop myself from reaching out and grabbing one right then and there.

My fingers twitched. Hey, I bet they won't miss it if I have just one, right? Right...?

_'I hope Kazuto loves my swimsuit! I picked it out just for him! My big brother will love it, I just know!'_

I snapped my hand back and slammed the cooler shut. I wasn't doing anything, I swear! When I turned around though, the girls didn't seem to have noticed that I was about to help myself to a sandwich. Instead, they were doing their level best to catch the attention of every guy on the beach. Judging by the way the thoughts and mental images of everyone in my range snapped towards the three girls, it had succeeded.

Rika was on the left, confidently walking towards me. She was wearing a orange and white striped bikini, with a see-through skirt wrapped around her waist that started off orange and faded to yellow as it got lower. The girl grinned as she waved at me. "Thanks for setting everything up, Kazuto!"

Sugu was on the other side of Asuna. _'I-Is Kazuto looking at me? He has to, right?'_ She raised her hand shyly, then squeaked as people stared harder. _'This is so embarrassing... I bought this for Kazuto, not so everyone else could see…!'_ Her bikini was a little bit more decent than Rika's, but only barely - and the top was definitely straining. So that's what she meant by 'tight', huh? Both pieces of her two-piece swimsuit were emerald green, a color that suited her.

Finally, between the two and leading them just a little bit was Asuna Yuuki herself. The sea breeze ran through her long beautiful hair, playing with the ends, and she raised a hand to keep it from blowing in her face. She was known as the most beautiful girl in our school for a reason, and it was on clear display here. Out of all of the girls, the guys focused on her the most, in her red and white striped bikini. It didn't have any frills, but it still enhanced her natural beauty. When she realized I was looking at her, she smiled at me and it was the most -

I shook my head and looked away. What the heck? It was a good thing I couldn't blush without making myself do so thanks to my powers, or my cheeks would be bright red. She's the most beautiful girl in the school, but I already knew that.

Haah... I hate that I'm the MC in situations like this, because all the guys are glaring at me now! It's not my fault that you're all background characters used to fill out the beach and make it seem less empty!

"Thank you so much for setting everything up, Kazuto," Asuna said. When she kneeled down on the blanket next to me, I looked away. "You can go ahead and get changed now."

I'll go put my swim trunks on really quick, then. Be back in a minute.

"Hurry up! You're burning daylight, and that water looks super awesome!" Rika ordered me. "But you picked a great spot, so good job!" She slapped me on the back hard enough that I nearly lost my balance.

_'Hmm, I wonder if I can accidentally walk in while he's changing...'_

Absolutely not, Sugu. I'll know when you're coming, and there's no way I'll let you do that!

...

After changing into my swim trunks, I headed back to the blankets. When I got back, though, I stopped and stared.

What's _she_ doing here?

"Hi Kazuto!" Yuuna waved. "I'm so glad I could make it!" Like the other girls, she was wearing a cute swimsuit, though the white bikini was a single color instead of the patterns the other girls were wearing. Still, it looked good on her, with the flower frills at the edge and the cute straw hat perched on her head.

Don't you have idol practice?

"Oh, Darling, don't worry about that." That wasn't an answer, Yuuna! "Besides, I'm not _really_ slacking off. My partner is taking the day off too for some big family event with her sister, I'm not too sure about the details." Yuuna waved her hand back and forth. "But that's besides the point! When I heard you were going to the beach, oh _honey_, you know I had to come along."

"Partner?" Rika asked.

"Mm-hmm! Oh, have I never told you? Silly me." Yuuna sighed and shook her head, smiling at herself. "I'd _love_ to be in the spotlight all by myself, but the producer decided to pair me up with this girl! She's just _wonderful_, such a great girl, even if she's a bit, ah, what's the word... hesitant, that's it! She's a little hesitant but an amazing singer. My debut will be up on a stage with her!"

"I can't wait to see it," Asuna said. "You've been working so hard, I'm sure you'll be radiant up there."

"Yeah!" Rika said. "We'll be there, cheering our hardest for you!"

"Aww, you girls are the best!"

Uh, Yuuna? Who told you about the beach trip?

"Asuna did, of course!" Yuuna smiled at me.

I... So when Asuna called you and mentioned the beach, didn't you say you had practice?

"Well duh, that was before I found out that my partner wouldn't be there, Darling!"

My only response possible was to shake my head. Of course she ditched practice...

"Who cares why you're here, let's just go have some fun!" Rika exclaimed and leveled a finger at the beach. Before any of us could react, she charged off -

But she couldn't get clear of Asuna before the beautiful girl reached out and caught Rika's arm. "Not yet, Rika," she said. "We have to make sure we apply sunscreen first. You don't want to get sunburned, do you?"

"I'll be fine!"

"Asuna's right," Yuuna said with a very serious nod. "I'll get in _so_ much trouble if I burn! Oh, I don't even want to _think_ about it. It gives me the chills, honey."

"Yeah. An' if ya gals ever feel like takin' a break, m' family's shop has a stall here."

"Eeeek!" Yuuna shrieked. She whirled around to see Kana standing right behind her, grinning like she'd just played the funniest joke. "Stop _doing_ that!"

I didn't blink, even after the rest of the girls gasped at her sudden appearance. Despite her best attempts, Kana had forgotten to blank her thoughts just before speaking up, so I'd heard her coming. Still, she managed to get really close before I'd caught her. That girl is a dangerous ninja...

"Nya hah hah!" Kana grinned. "Sorry ta scare ya, Yuuna. I see th' gang's all here, though. An' Sugu too!"

Asuna smiled. "It's good to see you, Kana. I didn't know you'd be working _here_ when you said you were busy."

Kana shrugged. "Didn't think ya'd be comin' this way." _'I knew all that research on the beach's within close distance to Kazu-boy's house would pay off! And Mom and Dad said I was putting too much effort into something with a low probability...'_

Wait, she expected this somehow? Seriously, ninjas are scary!

Ninja research aside - "I'm not a ninja," Kana muttered. "Ninjas don't exist." - are you actually working here, or just looking for a scoop?

"Nya hah hah! I'm actually workin', Kazu-boy. Like I told A-chan, I'm helpin' out the family shop durin' summer, so here I am." Kana sent a grin my way and held up a camera. _'Ninja Secret Art: Squirrel's Hiding Place!_' "But I'm always lookin' fer a scoop." Wh-Where did she have that? Where did it come from? She's wearing a brown tanktop and shorts that highlight her smooth skin and subtle muscles from her ninja training! There's nowhere to hide that camera!

_'I wish he didn't stare at her like that...'_ I'm not staring at anyone! "Anyway!" Asuna clapped her hands. "Sunscreen, everyone."

Rika let out a huge, exaggerated sigh, but followed Asuna back to the blankets. When Asuna laid down on the blankets, her freckled friend grabbed a bottle of sunscreen and started applying it liberally to the beautiful girl's back. "Kazuto! Can you get my back?" I blinked in surprise. How had Sugu practically teleported onto the blankets? And why was her bikini top undone, revealing all of her back?! _'I can't let them try that first!'_

_'Grr! I was going to ask if Kazuto could get my back!'_ Yuuna smiled. "Actually, let me, Suguha! And then you can get me, okay?"

_'...It does stop her from getting Kazuto to put sunscreen on her back...'_ "Sure, Yuuna, that's fine too. Thanks."

"Oh, it's no problem at all, honey."

As the girls protected themselves from the sun, I sat back on the towels. I looked around after a second and realized that Kana had slipped away at some point. Stupid ninja stealth.

"Kazuto, sunscreen?" Asuna smiled at me and held up the bottle. She must have finished with Rika already, since the brown-haired girl had already let out an excited whoop and ran out onto the sand with Sugu hot on her heels.

No, it's fine. I'm not really interested in playing around or anything like that.

"Oh." Asuna's shoulders sank slightly. "If you're sure..."

I am. Don't worry about me, go have fun.

The less I engage in this ridiculous setting, the better it is for me. Seriously, this is so cliche... At least I managed to avoid the sunscreen event flag. Now, I just have to lay back and nap, just to avoid the rest of the events that might show up.

...

"Take this!" Rika grinned and splashed water at Asuna. The sparkling drops clung to the beautiful girl's skin, even as she shrieked with laughter and knelt down to splash back. "Ack! Hey! No fair!"

"No fair? You were splashing me first! This is just payback!"

"Eek! Cold!"

Asuna splashed water at Rika without mercy, even while the short-haired girl tried to run away. I'd think that Rika would have stood her ground longer, but apparently cold things are her weakness. Who would have guessed? Either way, she was routed instantly and fled back to the safety of the blankets.

Give up?

"Not even!" Rika laughed. She giggled and knelt down by her bag. After a second, she pulled out a huge water gun. "I just needed to arm myself properly! The real battle begins now, Asuna!"

Asuna's eyes widened. "Wha- Rika?!"

"Too late to back down now, you're in trouble now!" Rika cackled and ran back towards Asuna, who immediately started running away.

"Be careful, honey," Yuuna called. She was building a sandcastle with Sugu, both girls doing their best to make a towering structure.

"I will!"

Yuuna smiled and went back to the sculpture. I stared at the mound of sand taking shape, and frowned. Hey, that looks a lot like Aincrad... _'I think it looks like this! I don't remember the last picture Uncle Aki showed me very well...'_ Oh, it _was_ Aincrad.

_'This thing looks a lot like that castle on the game Kazuto keeps playing...'_ Sugu frowned to herself as she patted some sand on one of the spires. _'I bet Yuuna's doing it to impress him! I knew she was going to be a rival!'_

She's not... Oh, what's the point. I'm not going to be able to get her to stop thinking like that, unless I confront her about her brocon obsession. And unfortunately, I can't do _that_ without revealing that I have psychic powers.

Instead of paying attention to the girls, I looked around the rest of the beach. It had started getting a little more busy over the rest of the morning, and that meant the pressure of thoughts was getting harder to ignore. Still, there weren't that many people that I only got flashes when my concentration weakened -

_'Yay, I love the beach!'_

_'I wonder if I could make something to make water breathable...'_

...Like right then. I sighed and forced the thoughts out of my head. They'd come from a pair of girls to our right, both playing near the water. I could barely see them from this distance, but I was pretty sure the girls had... silver hair? Huh... That was pretty rare. And a little familiar, for some reason. I tried to remember why it was nagging at me, but the feeling faded away. Well, it was probably nothing important. The younger sister (I'm assuming here) was really excited about being at the beach, if her thoughts were anything to go by.

My girls, on the other hand, were still playing around. Asuna giggled and yelped as Rika shot jets of water at her. "Rikaaaa! Stop!"

"You were talking so tough earlier, where's all that confidence now, Princess?"

"I told you, that nickname is so sill-eek!"

"Haha! Got ya!" Rika crowed. "Hey Yuuna, Suguha! Come and play, the water's great!"

Yuuna looked over and then got to her feet. "Coming! Do you want to come too, Suguha?"

"Eheh... I'm fine for now," Sugu said. "Actually, I kinda want to take a break. I had extra kendo practice this morning, you know?"

"That makes sense! You just rest up, honey."

Sugu smiled at Yuuna and headed back up the beach to sit down next to me. I looked at her, but she didn't say anything at all and just drew her knees up to her chest, hugging them against her.

The silence stretched out awkwardly, until I finally gave up and peeked into her thoughts. _'I wish I knew how to swim... But I'm still scared...'_

Oh.

...Hey, Sugu?

"Yeah?"

If you ask, I'm sure the girls will teach you how to swim.

Sugu hugged her legs a little tighter. "I, I don't want to bother them or anything like that. They're having fun. And it's not like it's awful just sitting in the shade."

Uh huh. Yeah. Sure. I don't think that I'd believe that even if I couldn't read her thoughts. I've lived with Sugu for years, there's no way she can fool me with a lie that weak.

_'Oh, all this salt water is going to be awful for my hair...'_ "Hi, you two," Asuna said as she approached us. "Are you sitting out for some reason?"

"No, no reason," Sugu said with a smile. I rolled my eyes.

Sugu can't swim.

_'Uwaaah! Why did he say it so bluntly!'_ Sugu blushed hard and hid her face in her knees. If she blushed any harder, I'd be worried she would burst into flames.

"Oh... Sorry, I didn't realize!" Asuna smiled kindly at Sugu. "Well, now's the perfect time to learn, right?"

"Huh?" My little sister looked up and stared at Asuna.

The beautiful girl offered her hand. "I don't mind taking some time to teach you, Suguha. I want you to have as much fun as we are, too!"

"I..." Sugu looked at me, and then smiled at Asuna. _'She might be a rival, but I can't dislike her...'_ "Thank you, Asuna."

Make sure you listen to her, Sugu. She's taking the time to teach you, so make sure you practice hard.

Sugu frowned at me. "Oh come on, I'm not going to ignore her..."

"He's just being overprotective," Asuna said. When both girls giggled at me, I sighed. Why do they have to gang up on me like that? "Okay, let's go start with getting used to it, right?"

"Right!"

The two girls headed for the edge of the beach, passing Yuuna and Rika who were walking back to me. Rika flopped down on the blankets next to me and rolled around, drying off that way. "Where's Asuna and Suguha going?" she asked.

Asuna's teaching Sugu how to swim.

"Huh," Rika said. She spread out on her back while Yuuna sat down on my other side and started redoing her braid. I guess it had gotten messed up in the water fights. "That's kinda surprising. With everything she does, I thought she was the sporty type."

Well, water is the one thing she's not very good at.

"Hee hee!" Yuuna giggled at me for some reason. "You're really proud of her, aren't you?"

Of course I am.

After all, why wouldn't I be? Even if she's the biggest brocon I've ever met - and thanks to my telepathy I'm counting the thoughts of people too - she's still my little sister.

"So hey! While Asuna's teaching Sugu, why don't we have some fun?" Rika sat up and pumped her fist. "I think I brought it..."

Yuuna and I watched Rika as she ran over to her bag and started rummaging around in it. "What is she looking for?" Yuuna whispered to me.

I have no idea. Even Rika's thoughts are just glee about how much _fun_ this is going to be, whatever 'this' is.

"Hah! Found it!" Yuuna and I gaped as Rika pulled a huge watermelon out of her bag. How... She... But I looked in there! She didn't have that anywhere in there! "Hey everyone! Let's split this thing!"

Asuna and Sugu looked over. My sister was making a lot of progress - already she was able to put her face in the water and go a small distance with Asuna's help - but they still came out of the water. Asuna just shook her head as Rika held the watermelon over her head. "How did you even carry that thing?"

"Less talking, more whacking!" Rika cheered. "Let's do this!"

As everyone else got swept up into the fun, Sugu ran over to her bags and pulled out a bokken. "Let's use this to hit it!"

"Great thinking, Suguha," Asuna said. "I think I brought some cloth we can use for a blindfold too!"

Yuuna smiled. "Well, while you're doing that, I think I'm going to take a walk. Have fun, everyone!"

"We will," Rika said. "I'm going first, I'm going first!"

Her excited energy carried the rest of us along with it, and before long the watermelon was planted on the ground. Asuna and Sugu pushed a little sand up around it to keep it in place, and then Rika covered her eyes with the blindfold Asuna handed her. After she was spun around a couple times, Rika wobbled back and forth. _'Whoa... It's so tough to keep my balance!'_ She took a few steps while Asuna and Sugu shouted encouragement, and then raised the sword over her head. "Hyaah!"

The wooden sword smacked into the sand.

"Aww," Asuna sighed. "Good try, though."

"Dangit!" Rika sighed when she pulled off the blindfold and stared at the watermelon. "I was so close, too! Your turn, Suguha."

Sugu tugged the blindfold over her eyes. "Wish me luck, guys!" Asuna and Rika spun her around a few times, and Sugu nearly lost her balance in their arms. "Eep!" _'Why couldn't Kazuto catch me...'_

"Careful, Suguha," Asuna said.

"I will be!" Sugu took a few careful steps towards the watermelon, and then lifted the sword. She took another step closer, and was practically right on top of it -

\- and the bandana slipped down. Sugu blinked in the sudden light, and then pouted. "Aww, that means I'm out, right?"

"No cheating!" Rika shouted. "Sorry, but you'll have to wait your turn."

Probably a good thing, too. Sugu's so strong she'd probably smash it to pieces in a single hit.

"Hey!"

"Kazuto, you're up." Asuna smiled at me and held out the bandana.

Huh?

"Yeah, you're not getting out of this one, buster. You've been sitting out the whole time!" Rika grabbed my hand and tugged me to my feet before letting go like she'd been burned. _'His hands are so soft and manly! But feminine and gentle, just like Asuna's... Kyaah!'_

"Good luck, Kazuto," Sugu said and handed me the sword.

H-Hey wait a second -

Before I could say anything, Asuna slipped the blindfold over my head and I couldn't see. Hands grabbed me and started spinning me around and without being to see, I couldn't really do much about it. Grrr... I got roped into this no matter what. What an awful writer!

_'Eeee, I got to touch Kazuto! This is the best day! I'm never washing my hands again!'_ Sugu, that is disgusting!

"Okay, it's two steps forward and one to the right!" Asuna called out after I was thoroughly disoriented.

"No way, it's one forward and a little step to the right!"

Rika, not everyone takes massive steps like you!

Despite everyone shouting directions, I didn't have that much trouble with getting to the watermelon. It was really easy to just peek into the girls' minds while they were focused on the watermelon and orient myself on that. A lot like having a third-person camera in a game. As soon as I was lined up, I raised my sword and brought it down in a perfect recreation of the Vertical Sword Skill.

_thunk._

The sword smacked down directly on the watermelon, and I pulled the blindfold off. It looked pristine, as if my attack hadn't damaged it at all. I missed SAO even more, since no matter what a successful attack would have a visible effect.

"Nice hit, Kazuto," Asuna said with a smile. "I think it's my turn now, right?"

"Yep, so get ready, because I'm going to spin you as hard as I can," Rika said.

Asuna giggled. "Not too much..."

Rika just grinned at her friend.

When Asuna raised the sword over her head, she only paused for a second before she unleashed a quick strike that cracked on the watermelon. Literally, because her strike split it cleanly in half. Rika and Sugu cheered loudly for her success, and Asuna had a huge smile on her face.

What? I have no idea if my blow cracked it or anything like that. It was just coincidence, that's all. I made sure to hold back my strength. After all, if I hadn't, the watermelon would be splattered all over the beach.

"I did it!" Asuna cheered.

"Way to go, Asuna!" Rika threw her arm over the other girl's shoulders, grinning. "Now, how about we get some of that? I'm getting hungry!"

"Fine... But only a little, I don't want you ruining your lunch, Rika."

Sugu giggled. "I'm sure it's fine! Watermelon doesn't fill you up that much."

Rika pumped a fist. "And even if I get full, I just need to go run up and down the beach a lot and I'll be ready to refuel!"

Refuel is probably right. She has to get the energy for her _everything_ from somewhere, after all.

Once the blindfold and bokken were packed away again, Asuna took over the watermelon and started cutting it up into chunks for each of us. Before I could accept mine, Yuuna's thoughts floated into my mind. _'Kazuto? Can you come help me, Darling? I'm in a little bit of trouble...'_

Crap. I'll be right back, I'm going to go find Yuuna.

Asuna blinked. "Huh? But we're about to eat..."

I'll be right back.

As I walked away, Rika nudged her friend. "Hey, you better get a move on, or she's gonna steal him away~."

"R-Rika!" Asuna squeaked. "I keep telling you, it's not like that!" _'I don't see him like that, he's just a friend!'_

"Suuure it's not."

_'Grrr... He's _my_ big brother, so he's mine! I love him the most!'_

Sigh... It really sucks that my abilities mean I hear things like that.

I put the girl gossip out of my mind and focused on tracking down Yuuna. It helped that she was humming one of the more familiar songs in her head so that I could find her; the music made her light up in my telepathy and I navigated down the beach using that.

"...take a walk with us?"

"C'mon, don't tell me it's the scars?"

When I found my friend, she was smiling awkwardly while two large men loomed over her. They weren't exactly blocking her way, but she couldn't have passed them without bumping them. With their shirts off to enjoy the beach, I could see the muscles bulging in their back... and the scars on the arms. I didn't need to hear their thoughts to know they were street thugs looking for someone to spend time with.

"Look, I'm really sorry, but I'm with my friends -" Yuuna started to say.

Thug 1 laughed. "Oh yeah? Then where are they?"

"D-Down a ways, I really should be getting back to them..."

"How about we treat you to something nice?" Thug 2 asked, flexing. Was he... Was he showing off for Yuuna? "It's a hot day, how about some shaved ice?"

Yuuna smiled weakly. _'I really don't want to deal with this... Kazuto, where are you...?'_

I sighed and approached them. I really don't like doing these kinds of event chains... My Social stats are way weaker in the real world than they are in SAO.

Yuuna, there you are. We're about to have lunch.

"Kazuto, darling, there you are!" Yuuna practically teleported to my side to wrap her arms around mine and mold against my side. "It was lovely meeting you, but I have to go now, bye bye!"

As we walked away, I kept a mental eye on the two thugs' thoughts just in case.

_'Crap, I can't believe she had a boyfriend... She was so hot!'_

_'I never have any luck with - oh shit, it's the Boss! I'm so screwed! D-Did she see all of that?!'_

"Thanks for coming to my rescue, brave hero," Yuuna said once we were far enough away from the two men. "I'm ever so thankful~!"

That idol practice is paying off. ...Did they do anything?

"Nothing at all, don't worry. I'm safe and sound thanks to you, Darling!" Yuuna smiled at me.

The other girls were mostly done setting up the lunch when we returned. I could already see the sandwiches sitting out in the cooler, along with some of the carved-up watermelon. "There you two are!" Sugu said. _'Wait... Is she holding his arm?! What happened out there, they were only gone for a few minutes!'_

"Come and get some food..." Asuna trailed off as she stared at the two of us. "Yuuna, is something wrong?"

"No, nothing!" Yuuna's tone was chirpy. "Some guys were being jerks, but Kazuto scared them off!"

"He's definitely handy to have around when it comes to that kind of thing," Asuna agreed.

Rika looked back and forth between the girls. "Huh? I think I'm missing something... But who cares!" She clenched a fist. "I can't believe someone would do that to our Yuuna!"

"She's not something you can own," Asuna reminded Rika gently.

"I'm glad you're okay, Yuuna," Sugu said. _'That sort of thing... I'm just glad Kazuto was there to save her! He really is like a knight in shining armor! I love him so, so, so, so much!'_

Yuuna smiled. "It was a little worrying, but I believed Kazuto would come rescue me! It's like he somehow knew I was in trouble~." You told me you were in trouble, that doesn't count. "That aside, this all looks amazing, Asuna!"

Asuna smiled. We all sat in a loose circle on the blankets, with the food in roughly the center. "Thank you! I worked very hard to make everything this morning, since Rika didn't give me much warning."

"What?!" Rika yelped. "I totally told you were going to the beach!"

Asuna frowned at her. "When, exactly?"

"I definitely told you like, yesterday! During our call last night."

"You definitely did not," Asuna protested. "You were telling me all about the baseball game you played in."

Rika opened her mouth, then hesitated. "Wait... It was after that, then, right?"

"No! I didn't hear about this until this morning, when you called me."

The hot-headed girl's shoulders slumped. "Really? I thought... I'm sorry, Asuna."

Asuna smiled and shook her head. "Well, I won't say I wish I had more warning, but I suppose I'm used to it by this point. We've been friends for a few years, now."

"Yep! Ever since you transferred into my class two years ago, we've been best friends."

Ah. Of course. _Another_ transfer student. I'm just glad that it happened a few years ago, so I didn't have to worry about it causing trouble. That makes three-for-four, now.

Yuuna giggled. "Sounds like you're used to the trouble she causes." Asuna nodded solemnly even while Rika squawked a protest. "It's great that you two are such great friends. Like me and Kazuto!"

_'Kazuto's my big brother, so I'm the closest to him!'_ Sugu raised her hand. "Um... Can we eat?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Yes, please, let's all enjoy the food," Asuna said.

"Time to eat!" Rika cheered. "Yeah!"

The two of us reached for the sandwiches at a same time. Our hands bumped above the cooler and we both froze, looking up to lock gazes. "My rival, we meet again..."

I'm not going to back down over these sandwiches! They're all perfect, but logically speaking one of them is more perfect than the others!

"Why couldn't you study like you fight over these sandwiches...?" Asuna sighed.

"Are they normally this bad?" Sugu asked. _'I wish he paid attention to my food like that! He's always on his tablet while we eat... Maybe I should ask for her recipe?'_

"The perfect one will be mine," Rika declared.

I refuse!

My hand snapped out, but before I could snag the prize Rika's hand snagged my wrist. My eyes widened at her hot grip but my body was already moving to prevent her from taking the sandwich for herself. She released me and we stared at each other. Lightning sparked between our gazes, and our hands lashed out. Every move I made Rika countered, and every strike she made I blocked. Our arms and hands started to blur around the edges, like we were doing some kind of cool anime kung-fu fighting.

"Oraaa!" Rika shouted as she leaned into the battle.

I'm not going to lose! Faster... I have to go faster...!

"Oh for..." Asuna sighed.

"Go go Kazuto~" Yuuna cheered happily. _'But don't go too much, Darling, or you'll expose your psychic powers!'_

Rika and I slammed our hands together and moved through the motions of a complicated handshake. We ended on a fist bump and nodded at each other. "You're a worthy rival," Rika said.

Likewise. Truce for now?

"If we don't, this will never end," she said. "Until next time."

Asuna sighed. "They're done, finally."

Rika and I nodded and took a bite of Asuna's sandwich simultaneously. I sighed in utter bliss as the flavor of Asuna's sandwiches spread across my tongue. Ahh, they're still so wonderful to eat!

Sugu grumbled under her breath. _'I still like his cooking better... But maybe Kazuto likes this sort of cooking better? Is this the kind of girl he likes?'_

I don't even care that Sugu is being extra brocon right now. I have Asuna's sandwiches, so all is right with the world. I wish I could eat her cooking for every meal, not just for lunch...

"Thank you so much again, Asuna honey," Yuuna said. "This food is so delicious!"

Asuna smiled. "It's just what I normally make..."

"No way, this tastes so good!" Sugu gasped. "You make this every day?"

"Mm-hmm!" Yuuna smiled. "She's such a sweetheart for making this. It keeps Rika and Kazuto from causing too much trouble," she fake-whispered to my little sister.

Sugu giggled. "I bet! He's bad enough at home."

I am not!

Once we'd finished eating everything, Yuuna sat back and sighed. "That was a lot of food," she said. "Oh, my manager is gonna be pissed..."

"Hey, we just gotta work it off," Rika said.

"But I was looking forward to some dessert," the idol whined.

"Actually, why not just have some? Desserts an' sweets go in an extra stomach~," Kana said.

Yuuna screamed and whirled around. "Eeek! Kana! Honey, please, you're going to give me a heart attack if you keep doing that!"

"Nya hah hah! Sorry, sorry." Kana grinned. "But seriously, every gal knows ya always have room for sweets."

"She's right," Sugu nodded.

Seriously? You're all being ridiculous.

Rika leaned back from Kana and Sugu. _'Whoa, their Girl Power is incredible!'_ "I guess a little bit of shaved ice won't hurt... We'll just have to play extra hard!"

"'Atta girl," Kana said with a grin. _'Mom had better appreciate all the customers...' _I knew she was in this for the money! I wasn't fooled for an instant. "How 'bout you, A-chan? Want somethin' sweet?"

"I..." Asuna sighed. "Oh, I might as well."

"Yeah!" Rika grinned. "One of us, one of us!"

I'm full, so I'm going to just sit and rest for a while.

Kana shrugged. "Sounds good. Everyone's cool 'cept for Kazu-boy, he's a party-pooper."

"Hey," Sugu complained. "Don't say that about him..." _'Kazuto is not a party-pooper at all! And why does she keep using a nickname, it's not fair that I don't get to have a nickname for him!'_ You'll just have to settle for 'big brother', Sugu. Oh no. What a shame.

From their thoughts about how delicious everything was, I could tell the girls were definitely enjoying their treat. After they came back, Kana came with them. "Fuahh," Asuna sighed. "That was wonderful, but I need to do something to justify it."

"Well, we're at th' beach, A-chan," Kana grinned. "Plenty 'a things ta do here."

"Like what, honey?" Yuuna asked. "I don't really want to go back in the water for a little bit, I'm a little bit tired right now."

Kana hummed. "Well... Hey Kazu-boy, wanna let us bury ya in th' sand?"

No.

_'There's no way I'll let them touch Kazuto! If anyone is going to bury him in the sand, it's me!'_ Sugu, you aren't helping. "Well, there's that net over there," Sugu pointed out. "If we had a volleyball, we could play there."

"Maaaan!" Rika huffed. "That's like, the one thing I didn't bring!" '_I knew I should have brought the extra extra large beach bag instead of the extra large one!_'

"Hey, no worries!" Kana grinned. "Lemme go see if I can dig one up. Tourists leave all kinds 'a stuff here, we collect it at th' shop. Be right back, gals an' Kazu-boy." She hurried off towards the edge of the beach. _'Hmm, lemme see... Ninja scroll, earrings, steel ring, empty wallet, some shuriken... Hey, whaddaya know? We got one!'_

After Kana returned with the volleyball in her hands, Rika and Sugu locked gazes, then turned to me. I could already see where this was going, so I raised my hand.

I'll be the scorekeeper.

_'Awww! I wanted to be on a team with my big brother!'_ Sugu nodded. "It's probably a good idea if Kazuto didn't play. He's not very sporty."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Rika said. "I've seen him at gym class." You've what now?! "In that case... Kazuto and Yuuna, do you mind keeping score?"

"Sure thing! Darling and I will do our best!" Yuuna looped her arm around mine and smiled happily. "Good luck, girls!"

Asuna smiled. "Let's do our best, Rika."

Kana snickered. "Ready ta beat them at their own game, Suguha?"

Sugu and Rika were so fired up to play, it was adorable.

...

"Haaaah!" A heavy spike from Rika slammed the ball down into the sand, just out of reach of Sugu's desperate dive. "Nice!" She raised her hands, and Asuna clapped them.

"Sorry," Sugu sighed as she dusted sand off of her skin. "I thought I'd get it."

"Nya hah hah! No worries, no worries."

"Score's ten to nine, in Rika and Asuna's favor!" Yuuna winked at me. "Do you think they'd play harder if I promised the winners a kiss, Darling?"

Why would that work?

"Hmm hmm, you never know~!"

"We're up!" Kana shouted, before she launched the ball high in the air. She jumped incredibly high (though for a ninja it was probably perfectly normal) and smacked the ball in a quick serve. Asuna sent it back quickly, but Kana was already right there. She set the ball up for Sugu perfectly, and my little sister spiked it straight over Asuna and Rika's heads. Rika dove for it and missed, but Asuna (and Kana) were a little bit distracted by my sister's landing.

The girls were so entranced that their thoughts were visible to me without even trying. Both of them were imagining that they were seeing things in slow motion as... things bounced up and down and jiggled way, way too much. I wished I could yell at them to stop thinking about it, but it really wouldn't help. I just had to wait until they stopped staring at my little sister in awe and jealousy (from Kana and Asuna, respectively).

The ball spun and gave off smoke from the furrow it had dug into the sand, and Yuuna cheered. "Ten to ten, girls!"

Rika planted her hands on her hips. _'She's good... but I'm not going to lose!'_

_'Rika's great at this. But Kazuto's watching, and I can't lose!'_

Great, this is going to go on until one of them passes out, isn't it?

...

"Aww, that's so sweet," Rika grinned.

Yuuna giggled. "Quick, someone take a picture." I glared at the girls across the train from me and Sugu.

Don't any of you dare.

"I'm already taking one, don't worry," Asuna said.

Grrr... And I can't erase their memories because it wouldn't be worth it! Besides, Yuuna would probably get mad at me if I did that.

After Asuna took a picture with her phone, she showed it to Rika and Yuuna. Both girls cooed again, giggling. _'You really look adorable like that, Kazuto!'_ Yuuna smiled at me. The noise they were making stirred my little sister in her sleep, and she mumbled. "Shh, shh!" Yuuna hushed them. After a second, Sugu settled down and nuzzled against my shoulder more.

Yes, naturally, my little sister had been totally exhausted after playing at the beach all day. And so, since everything seemed to conspire against me these days, she'd fallen asleep on my shoulder the instant the train set off for home. I glanced down at her sleeping face, and in the setting sun (and without thinking about how much she loved me constantly) Sugu looked really peaceful.

...Let's just be quiet so she doesn't wake up.

The girls all nodded and agreed. _'He loves his sister so much.'_ How they all had the same thoughts, I don't know, but it couldn't be further from the truth! She was actually asleep right now, but if she realized I let her sleep on my shoulder once I'd never hear the end of it.

"Ahh... This was a lot of fun," Asuna said. "I'm glad that everyone could come out and play, today."

"Yeah, me too," Rika grinned. "Playing all day is great! I'm so fired up for tomorrow!"

Asuna smiled. "Easy there, Rika. We don't want to scare everyone off."

Yuuna giggled. "You're something else, honey."

"And never forget, there's only one of me!" Rika crowed.

Small mercies.

"Hey!"

Once we were all off the train (I managed to get Sugu awake long enough for her to walk off the train, but she went right back to drowsily swaying back and forth before thumping against my side) Asuna and Rika smiled and said their goodbyes. Yuuna gave me a quick hug, citing best friend privileges when the other two girls complained, and then they went on their way.

Now how the heck was I supposed to get Sugu home when she's half-asleep? I led my little sister over to the bike and sat her down on the back seat, then got on the bike myself. Sugu wobbled a little bit, but yawned and rubbed at her eyes.

Okay, Sugu, hug me really, really tightly. I'm gonna start the bike now-

Grk! Too tight! Too tight!

_'Heheheh...'_ Even Sugu's thoughts were sleepy. _'I get to hug Kazuto, and I have an excuse... Don't wanna let go...'_

I guess it's the best way to get her home without worrying about her letting go. If this were a game, I'd at least be grinding out my Endurance stat... Ah, too bad my life isn't a video game instead of _this_ craziness.

...

When I woke up the next morning, I rolled over and then winced immediately. My skin felt like it was on fire.

Crap! Because I hadn't expected to be out in the sun, I hadn't put on any sunscreen. But then the girls dragged me out to split the watermelon with them, and I hadn't been able to get away after that! Splashing around in the water with Rika and Yuuna... Watching Sugu's new-found swimming ability... Eating shaved ice under the hot sun with Kana and the other girls, where they'd keep eating despite the brain freeze...

Of _course_ I got burned!

Grumbling under my breath, I went to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face to wake up. When I came out, the red irritation on my neck and shoulders was gone with a healthy-looking tan in its place.

Hey, what's the point of being able to control my body perfectly if I couldn't abuse the ability to have consequence-free bad decisions?

I went down to make breakfast and found Sugu already sitting at the table, sleepily nursing a mug of milk coffee. She looked up at me when I started cooking, and I couldn't help but chuckle. The tip of her nose and her ears were bright red, and if the way she awkwardly shifted was a sign, her back was a bit burned too.

Morning, Sugu.

"Mmmgh..."

Yep, there's my sleepy sister. She's really not a morning person.

* * *

**August 4th, 2025**

I grinned as I stared at the clock. There were only a few more hours until the official launch of SAO, and I could barely wait. The whole morning, I'd been scouring the net for any last scraps of information I could find, as well as watching the livestreams about the game.

I double-checked my setup just in case. Door was locked, first priority. I needed to make sure Sugu couldn't sneak into my room.

"Bye, Kazuto! I'm off to kendo practice!" Sugu called from the driveway. _'I wish I could spend all day with Kazuto, but the club has practice! I'll miss him soooooo much!'_

I don't even care that she has practice today, Sugu would find a way to slip into my room and cuddle on my bed if I left the door unlocked, I just _know_ it.

Satisfied that I was safe, I turned back to my NerveGear. The metal helmet sat on my bed, plugged in and charged up; SAO was already loaded, so all I had to do was wait until the servers officially went live.

_Vrrrt vrrt vrrt_

...I don't care what Rika wants, I'm not going out. SAO is the one place I don't have to worry about my abilities, I'm not giving this up for anything.

_Vrrrt vrrt vrrt_

Oh, for the love of... I leaned over and grabbed my phone.

"Kazuto!" Asuna said. "Yuuna told me all about this game that was coming out today. Sword Art Online, right? Well, we all have copies, so let's play together!"

Why.

"My dad got a few copies because he runs the company behind ALO, so that's how Rika and I got ours." Asuna gasped. "Oh! Did you know? Yuuna _knows_ the developer of Sword Art Online! That's so cool, right?"

Whyyyyy.

Asuna giggled. "Well, I'll look forward to the game! See you in a few hours." She hung up with a click. _'Now, how do I set up my account... What does it mean, user name? Is it asking for my name?'_

WHYYYYYY

* * *

**What, you thought I was going to miss out on a beach episode? Hah! Of course not. I would never allow that to happen.**

**Well, this chapter is more about characters interacting with each other more than any tangible plot development (until the very end of the chapter, of course). I still think it holds an important place in the story, though. Plus, how could I call this story complete if I _didn't_ have a gratuitous beach scene?**

**Poor Kazuto, forced to spend time with three girls in swimsuits. His NPC life is far from reach by this point, I think!**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	8. Multiplayer Mode

**Chapter 8: Multiplayer Mode; or, MMO Hell is Other People  
**

* * *

**August 4th, 2025**

I, Kazuto Kirigaya - or Kirito, in the virtual world - have found myself in a horrible situation.

Yes, I know this sounds familiar. I don't care. Shut up.

Now, the problem _this_ time is pretty simple. Sword Art Online, the latest VRMMO to come out, will go live in just a few minutes, and I could barely wait for the NerveGear to finish running through its startup checks and calibration so I could log in and start playing for real. That month I was in the beta was amazing!

_That_ isn't the problem. If that was the problem, I wouldn't be complaining right now. The problem was, again, something that even I, **the world's most powerful psychic**, couldn't do anything about. That's right - my main character status officially followed me into SAO. I knew there wasn't any escaping it, but I'd hoped that maybe for a brief, glorious second, all I would have to deal with in the game was an otaku AI girl that thought she was my daughter, a hug-monster, and a very cuddly elf.

Stupid of me to think that this story would give me a break, I know, but I'd still hoped.

Basically, I was going to have to deal with the girls playing SAO with me. Kana was already going to be there, since she was a beta tester like me, but her whole deal was being a ninja and trying to stalk me. I could deal with that. But now that Asuna, Yuuna, and Rika are joining, I'm not sure if Aincrad is going to survive. And to make things worse, I already knew my little sister was going to join once she saved up her allowance to buy the game. She already had the NerveGear! She thought she was being sneaky when she bought it, but I can **read her thoughts**. It wasn't hard to know what she was hiding.

Well, there wasn't much I could do about it. The girls already had their accounts made, and I wasn't just going to run away from playing this game.

I sighed again and made one last paranoid check around my room. Windows locked, door locked, Sugu wasn't hiding under the bed and was in fact out for kendo practice... I know she shouted goodbye, and her thoughts were all about the kendo strikes she was focusing on, but I didn't trust her in the slightest! Her brocon abilities were next-level!

After I made sure there was no way my little sister could get into my room, I laid down on the bed and strapped my NerveGear to my head. The sleek grey helmet's battery hummed as it finished its checks. The time had finally arrived.

Link start!

* * *

The log-in process was just as smooth as the last time I logged into SAO. My old beta tester data was available right from the start and I used the avatar I'd gotten familiar with over the month I'd been playing - a handsome, cool guy. Before too much longer, I was back in the starting zone of the City of Beginnings. I looked down at myself, then back up. I was back in the starting gear, too.

But still...

Hello world. I'm back.

_ping!_

I jumped and stared at the message notification that had suddenly appeared at my side. A message, already? I hadn't even added anyone to my Friends List yet. Who could possibly...

I sighed as the answer came to me. There was really only one person who could have messaged me the minute I logged in.

'I'm back to Aincrad'. And the sender was... Y.

Yeah, Yui isn't fooling anyone. What kind of message even was that?! It made no sense! Did she glitch?

I looked over my shoulder at the exit to the central plaza. If I took that exit there, I'd be able to swing by the NPC vendors that sold the best weapons that I could afford. I was good enough at the game that I didn't even need to worry about armor or healing potions, so all I needed was a sword and I could take the alley shortcut to the boar fields.

But, I knew if I did that, Yui would just message me incessantly until I went to go meet her. I sighed again. Where did my boring, peaceful life go?

Instead of heading out to the boar fields, I wandered deeper into the City of Beginnings. It didn't take long for me to find an alley without any curious players exploring, since obviously most players went out to fight boars. The few beta testers more interested in Skills than grinding mobs, like a certain Rat I don't want to think about in case I summon her by accident, wouldn't be in this part of the town either, since there were no quest givers here.

Sure enough, as soon as there weren't any other players nearby a bright light shone and nearly blinded me. Even after I shielded my eyes it was still incredibly bright, and I had to close my eyes until it finally went away. "You're back!" Yui exclaimed. When I opened my eyes and looked at her, the little girl looked exactly the same as before. "Welcome back, Papa!"

...I'm back, Yui. Even if I ask you not to call me Papa -

"I've updated your preferred form of address, Papa!"

Yeah, that's what I thought.

Yui giggled. "It was really lonely while the servers were updating and nobody was logged in. I'm glad there's so many more people now!"

I nodded. The official release supported ten times as many players as the beta, and that was just the first printing of the game. Argus was hard at work getting more copies made, so the next wave of new players should be arriving in a few months. But... it _was_ good to be back. It felt great to be able to run around without having to totally restrain my power, and I didn't have to dodge -

...Wait. Yui, where's Strea?

"Hmm?" Yui tilted her head. "I'm not sure! It's very strange, she was so excited to see you again, especially since the two of you bonded like that!"

Since we bonded - I felt my face turn red, and that was a _weird_ feeling when I couldn't control it. That was just a single kiss! It wasn't like a marriage or anything!

Wh-whether it was a marriage or just some weird thing we had to do to make sure Strea got a buff to fight tough mobs, I didn't feel comfortable not knowing where Strea was. It felt like I was missing something. But, since Yui said Strea was here, I can just focus my psychic powers and pick out her thoughts...

_'Wow, this looks so amazing! Maybe I should have tried ALfheim Online when Father mentioned it...'_

_'Uncle Aki really outdid himself! This looks so awesome! Kazuto, you're so lucky you got to play this already!'_

_'My spirit is burning! I'm ready to start swinging my hammer around!'_

...Or, I could put finding Strea on hold because the girls had just logged in. I looked at Yui, and the young girl smiled up at me innocently. Oh well.

Let's go, Yui.

"Sure thing, Papa! Are we going to get quests? Or start grinding?" Yui's smile widened further and she clapped her hands excitedly. "Ooh! Is this the part where you're going to become a shut-in who only plays games, and then wish to be in a video game world, and then get transported to Aincrad?"

What. No, I'm just going to go meet my friends. They wanted to play the game with me, so they made me promise to help them out.

Yui blinked. "...Papa, you have friends?"

Where did you learn that question, Yui? Wipe it from your memory.

"Okay!"

I sighed. I could already tell this was going to be some sort of problem.

...

It didn't take me long to find the girls. In fact, it was downright simple. All I had to do was follow all the thoughts of the guy gamers fawning over the fact that there were three cute girls playing the game with them. After all, gamer guys were simple enough. Girls were pretty rare in VRMMO games, and girls like Asuna, Yuuna, and Rika were even rarer. This is - girls with a nice figure that _weren't_ game-addict losers like the rest of the guys, if everyone's thoughts could be believed.

Yuuna had apparently decided that she wanted to try out white hair for a little bit, as well as a pair of braids tucked behind each ear instead of just the one that dangled on her left shoulder usually. She looked cute like that, still! Since players could customize the look of their starting outfit, she'd gone with a deep maroon and purple color scheme.

Asuna looked exactly like she always did, messy bangs on one side and all. I'd make a joke about not improving on perfection, but I could hear the praises people were thinking in their heads, and the phrase 'A goddess descends!' featured more than once. Even in the starting gear, she was undeniably beautiful.

As for Rika, well, I wasn't surprised that she'd played around with her settings. I _was_ surprised by the pink hair and eyes, but it somehow worked! Even with her freckles, it just made her look like a cute tomboy instead of the super-energetic, constantly moving girl I'd gotten to know and... know.

Even as I walked up to them, I became Public Enemy Number One for daring to break the gamer's unwritten rules and approach beautiful girls. If Argo were here, I'm willing to bet every rumor would be about how I hit on every girl in the game, and seduced them with sweets, and everything. These girl-starved gamer nerds!

Asuna spotted me first, as befitting the Princess of our school; she smiled at me sweetly. "I'm sorry, but we're waiting for a friend. We're not interested in joining a party."

Amazing. She'd just started playing MMOs and she already knew the important phrases. I guess it makes sense, since all the other guys here were staring from a distance and nursing egos.

Yeah, I know. It's me.

Her face lit up. "Kazu-mmph!" she started to shout out my real name, but Yuuna clamped her hand over Asuna's mouth.

"Honey, shh! We shouldn't use real names here!" She smiled at me. "Sorry, Darling."

"Real names?" Asuna asked after Yuuna put her hand away. "But didn't the account ask for your user name?"

Rika raised a finger, then stopped. "Wait, Asuna? What did you put?"

"My name, obviously! That's what it wanted!" Instead of replying, Rika looked away and scratched at her cheek. "Rika? Rika, what's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?!"

I shook my head.

Yui poked her head out from behind me. "Papa, your friends are funny," she said.

Hmm, if I listen closely, I think I can hear the last bits of me that believed things couldn't get worse. They're screaming and dying. The poor things probably didn't expect Yui to call me Papa right in front of the girls.

All three of them froze and stared at Yui. The AI that looked like a little girl (with my hair and eyes, like Kizmel had always said) smiled up at them. "Hi! My name is Yui. What's yours?"

"Ka-Ka-Ka-Kazuto!" Asuna nearly shrieked as she stared at me. In the time between Yui's comment and Asuna's yelp, the beautiful girl had grabbed me by the shirt. "D-Did you kidnap this child?!"

"Darling, that's a crime," Yuuna frowned.

Rika leaned away from me. "I never knew you were into that sort of thing..."

Can everyone stop assuming the worst for a second! Yui is an AI, and she keeps calling me Papa no matter what.

Yui smiled. "My full designation is Mental Health Counseling Program Zero Zero One, but Yui is way cuter!"

"She's right," Yuuna nodded. "Yui is cuter."

"Obviously," Rika said. "But... Really? Papa?"

Asuna was still holding my shirt in her fist. "B-But she's calling you Papa! Why is she calling you Papa!"

Yui giggled. "Because Grandpa made me thanks to what Papa said back when they met, so that makes him my Papa."

"Ohh, back when you met Uncle Aki." Yuuna clapped a fist in her palm like she'd just solved a difficult puzzle. _'Is this about your psychic powers, Kazuto?'_

That's right, Yuuna.

I looked around me and noticed that we'd made managed to attract a lot of attention from the other players. If I'd thought the rumors were going to be bad before... Argo was going to be rolling in col after all things were said and done. _'How is he talking to _girls_?' 'Normies should go explode!' 'I think I recognize him... Yeah, he's that guy from the beta that had a kid!'_

Alright, before everything else goes wrong, let's find an inn where we can sit down and talk. Away from all these other guys.

"Sure thing!" Yuuna said.

Asuna and Rika nodded, and the three girls followed me. The inn I led them to was a pretty out-of-the-way place that only a few players knew about, and nobody frequented. Sure enough, it was totally empty aside from a few NPCs that didn't react to our entrance. I sat down on one side of the couch and Yui sat next to me. The other girls sat down across from me, all of them radiating disapproval at the way Yui kicked her feet back and forth just like a little girl.

"So..." Rika began slowly. "I'm a little confused here. So she's your daughter?"

"Yes I am!" Yui chirped before I could deny anything. This is just going to make things more confused.

"But she's also an artificial intelligence," Asuna said.

"Yes I am!" Yui chirped.

"I get it!" Rika exclaimed. Then, she shook her head. "I get that I don't get it."

What was the point of yelling that, then?! Anyway, it's pretty simple. Yui decided to do her 'research' into how people act through... anime and manga. So when I met her, she decided that I was her Papa.

Rika scratched her head. "I'm still a little confused, but I guess it makes sense..."

Now that _that's_ settled - _'It's not settled at all!'_ Asuna thought, but didn't say anything out loud - let's just add each other to our Friends list. That way we can send messages back and forth without being in the same room.

I stared at the names of the prompt. Lisbeth ("Call me Liz, guys!"), Yuna, and... Asuna.

"It's not my fault!" Asuna protested when everyone stared at her. "I just... didn't know what it wanted me to put in. This is my first game like this, after all."

"Doesn't your dad run the company that owns ALO, or something?" Liz asked.

"W-Well yes, but I've never played it... It never interested me, and besides, I was always busy with studying for my classes."

Liz grinned. "You're such a student, Asuna."

"That isn't even an insult, Ri- Liz!" Asuna complained. "And what about Yuna? Her name is practically the same!"

Yuna smiled. "But the sources are way different! My avatar's name comes from 'una', the Latin word for one. Uncle Aki told me that."

Asuna frowned again, but shook her head. "Putting that aside, Kazuto, I'm surprised you look so... so..."

She forgot to use my avatar name again. Maybe that's just a _thing_ with her.

"Yeah, I know what you mean." Liz cupped her chin with her fingers and stared me up and down like I was a piece of meat. _'A cool face, nice hair, definitely like the muscles... But he still looks weird...'_ "You sound weird, Kirito."

W-Weird?

"Oh! I can fix that!" Yui hopped to her feet and turned to face me.

Fix? Fix what? Yui!?

Instead of answering me, Yui opened a menu and tapped at several options. "Grandpa told me I should do this, and I agree," she said. Then, with a flourish, she pressed a button on the screen and... produced a hand mirror. "Papa, please look at this."

Uh... Okay, sure.

Whatever this is, it's going to be trouble, but there's no real way I can turn down Yui. So I accepted the «Hand Mirror» and stared at it. All I saw was my avatar's reflection -

The girls yelped in shock as the mirror's surface erupted with light, nearly blinding me. It got so bright as to fill the room, and then faded away. I rubbed at my eyes and looked around; Yui smiled at me without hesitation, while the others blinked. _'I can't seeee!'_ Liz complained in her thoughts.

What was even the point of that? I stared at the mirror in my hands - and then took a much closer look. The face that stared back at me was my real face, not the avatar that I'd taken so much time to craft. Then, the mirror shattered.

Yui, what was that?!

"It's something Grandpa had already developed," she told me. _'For his plans back when this was supposed to be a killing game.'_ "But it's no good to lie to your friends! In my research materials, everyone that lies about their true self has a bad time, Papa."

_'He's definitely cuter this way,'_ Asuna thought. Her cheeks turned red, but I did my best to pretend I didn't hear that. When will this crush of hers wear off...

"Great! Now we all look right!" Yuna cheered. "Yui, I'd offer you a lozenge if I had one!"

"Yay! Sweets are my favorite! There's a great tea and cake shop to the south. I can give you directions if you want."

Before we get too distracted by sweets, didn't you want me to show you the ropes of the game?

Liz jumped to her feet. "Yeah! I'm all fired up to get to some fighting, so let's do this!"

Asuna giggled. "Then maybe we can try out the cake shop. I wonder if they can make new flavors in this game..."

"The flavor engine is very robust," Yui told Asuna. "Plus, there are plenty of ingredients to mix and match! But you'll need the Cooking Skill before you can use most of them well."

"Is that so...?"

"Skills?" Liz asked. She wrinkled her nose. "What the heck are those?"

While Yui explained the basics of the Skill system to Asuna, Yuna, and Liz, I led everyone through the alleyways. I didn't want to be spotted with a bunch of girls, this soon after the game started! There were already going to be a bunch of weird rumors about me, I didn't need to add fuel to the fire. Maybe if I got them a hood? Asuna would look good in a red hooded cape, probably...

_'He's distracted! This is my chance to give Kirito a biiiiiig hug! Strea Attack!'_

Even with the girls around me filling my mind with their thoughts, I could hear Strea coming. It helped that the lavender-haired girl had a _very_ active imagination, and I could literally see her planning out her method of attack. In this case, we were in a tight alleyway with no room for me to dodge, so she'd just rush at me from the alley entrance with her arms spread out -

\- And naturally she ran straight into my hand. "Hi, Kirito!" she said with a huge smile. "I missed you soooo much! This reunion calls for a huuuge hug!"

Definitely not.

All three girls stared in shock, but their thoughts weren't still. _'Holy crap, she's bigger than Sugu!'_ All three of their thoughts were the same thing. I wasn't sure if I liked that they were in shock because Strea was bigger than my little sister, but it wasn't like they were wrong, either.

Hi, Strea. I was wondering where you were.

"Well, you don't have to worry any more!" I wasn't worrying, though... Strea took a step back and waved to the girls behind me. "Hi there! Are you Kirito's friends?"

"Y-Yes, we are." Asuna rallied first and introduced everyone politely.

Yui stared up at me. "Papa, are they your friends? I thought they were part of your harem."

I coughed awkwardly. Asuna and Yuna both went bright red, while Liz tripped over her tongue to protest that she wasn't into me like that at all.

It's not like that, Yui. We're just friends from school.

_'Just friends...?' _I rolled my eyes at Yuna's insistent thought.

Best friends from school.

_'Better, Darling~!'_

"Huh... I could have sworn that young men in high school had a harem of girls..." Yui put her hand to her mouth, hard in thought. She was strangely adorable like that. "Am I wrong...? No, it has to be Papa that's wrong."

It's a good thing that I _know_ that Asuna and Yuna's crushes on me are just that - crushes. If not, I'd be worried. I don't think I could trust whoever's writing this to not shove me into a harem otherwise!

"Nah, it's Asuna here that has the harem," Liz said with a smirk.

"Liz!" Asuna exclaimed, her cheeks bright red. "Stop teasing me! You know that we're all just friends!"

Yui clapped her hands together. _'Ah! So a harem is just a group of friends! I'll make sure to save that to my core programming. ...And done!' _I really needed to step in before things got even worse. Fortunately, I had a lavender-haired girl standing right next to me that would help out. Introductions were in order, after all.

Girls, this is Strea. She's an AI, just like Yui.

"Hiiii! Nice to meet you, everyone!" Strea waved wildly. Things bounced. "A friend of Kirito's is a friend of mine! I hope we get along super great!"

_'This is so unfair,'_ Asuna complained in her head.

Can we please just get to the Boar Fields now?

...

Thank you. It didn't take long to show the girls the ropes, especially since Yui was there to act as our tutorial NPC. Asuna in particular was _incredible_, taking to the rapier with blistering speed. All Yui had to do was explain a few basic concepts like how thin swords resembled fencing and the stance to activate the starting Sword Skill, Linear, and Asuna flashed across the battlefield to kill a Frenzied Boar in one shot.

Yuna was doing her best, though her heart clearly wasn't into hitting things with her dagger. _'This is boring... I want to learn those singing Skills Uncle Aki mentioned...'_ Liz, on the other hand, was waving her mace in the air with more glee and enthusiasm than skill. I could swear I saw scorch marks on the Frenzied Boars that she killed, just before they shattered.

I glanced up at the sky while the girls slaughtered boars and chatted to each other. It was starting to get late, and the setting sun dyed the blue sky crimson. This world really was amazing, wasn't it?

_'I wonder who that NPC is...'_

_'No matter who goes up and talks to her, she just ignores them.'_

_'It's gotta be a launch event! No way they'd waste a beautiful girl like her on a random quest.'_

_'I'm definitely gonna ask her out! This is it! I'm gonna get a girlfriend today!'_

I blinked. Wait, was someone asking out an NPC?

_'Ouch, even the NPC turned that guy down. I saw him hitting on any girl in the game.'_

_'Maybe it's a stat thing, and we'll have to come back later once we've leveled up a lot.'_

Whatever was going on, I was kinda curious. An NPC that was ignoring everyone's attempts at triggering its quest? Even if I couldn't activate the quest myself, the gamer soul inside me refused to let this slip by.

Hey, girls? I've heard there's supposed to be a special quest going on to celebrate the launch day. Why don't we check it out?

"Huh? Uncle Aki never -" Yuna stopped halfway through her protest. _'Oh, is this something you heard through telepathy, Darling? I'll help, then!'_ "He never told me anything about this! What a jerk!"

"Well, you can't expect him to tell you everything!" Liz laughed. "Otherwise what's the point of playing and exploring?"

Yuna planted her hands on her hips. "Fiiiiine, Little Miss Bossy. Why don't we just check out the quest then?"

"It sounds like fun," Asuna said.

Thanks for the help, Yuuna.

_'Don't mention a thing, Darling~!'_ Yuna winked at me and then sauntered off, following Liz as the pink-haired girl marched away. "Liz, honey, do you even know where it is?"

"No clue!" Liz grinned. "But hey, if it's some big fancy quest, all we gotta do is follow the crowds, right?"

She's not wrong, I guess. Asuna sighed and shook her head. "She's always been like this, you know," she told me, Strea and Yui while we followed Liz and Yuna. "As soon as she gets something in her head, she just goes without stopping."

"She sounds like the perfect main character!" Yui said. I winced. Don't say those things, Yui! They're curses!

"It sounds like you have a lot of fun together!" Strea said. "I wish I could have fun with everyone too..."

Asuna smiled. "I'm sure everyone would love to play with you, Strea."

"Yay!" Strea's moods were mercurial. One second she was depressed, and just a single sentence from Asuna had that bubbly smile back on that face. "I'd love to play with everyone too! You, Liz, Yuna, and Kirito too!" Strea beamed. "I want to do more of what we did in the beta!"

Asuna slowly turned her head towards me. I could feel an ominous energy pushing at me. But Asuna's not psychic, so I'm must be imagining it, right?! "Ki-ri-to... What is she talking about?" _'D-Did he do _this_ and _that_ with her?! Taking advantage of an AI...!'_

N-Nothing! She must be talking about at night when I logged out, and she climbed in bed with me!

"Yup, yup!" Strea nodded. "Kirito never let me hug him, but I got to cuddle at night! The beds were really crowded, but it was fun. Oh, and when I got winged! I wanna do that more, too!"

"You cuddled in - wait, wi-winged? What does that mean?!"

"It's that thing, where I get super strong like whoosh! And pow! And I get huuuuge wings that are really pretty," Strea said, spreading her arms right.

"Mm-hmm!" Yui nodded. "When Papa and Strea undergo mucosal contact, Strea gets super strong thanks to the special bond they share!"

_'Wh-what is mucosal contact...?'_ I will never, ever tell Asuna the truth. Ever. "As long as he's not taking advantage of you..."

"Noooope!" Strea giggled. "Not at all! We're super close!" _'This is the perfect time for a Strea Hug to show Asuna how close we are!'_

No.

"Aww, why?" Strea whined, pushing against my hand. Her arms were still open from her hug attempt. _'It's no fair you can always see me coming!'_

That's not my problem!

Even trying to deal with Strea's over-enthusiastic attempts to hug me until I started taking HP damage, it didn't take long for us to find the cluster of new players. As we got closer to the crowd, the thoughts started pressing at me louder. _'Can't believe that she's ignored everyone!'_ _'This is a really shitty event for the first day.' 'Damn she's hot though...'_

Great. I can already tell this is going to be trouble, just by the thoughts of the people around me.

"Whoa, this is a lot of guys," Yuna mumbled. She wrinkled her nose when a few of the players at the edge of the pack started staring at the girls that accompanied me instead. _'That's so lame...'_

"There's a few girls here," Asuna said.

I didn't have the heart to tell her that they were probably guys (probably nothing, I could tell by their thoughts, but I couldn't explain _that_) but Yui said, "I can access their NerveGears to find out!" She closed her eyes for a second. "I've checked, everyone. The only female players in the area are you three!"

"...Okay that, I didn't need to know," Liz grumbled. _'There's only a few guys that can pull that off and I doubt any of these gamers can.'_

Let's just see what's going on with the quest, okay?

We managed to push our way through the crowds. It helped that it was getting late and people were logging off for dinner, or because they'd already been turned down by the quest-giver NPC. So, when we reached the center, it was almost entirely empty around us. The NPC was standing with their back to us, staring off into the sun; the setting sun illuminated their short, smoky purple hair and tanned skin. The pointed ears were really weird, since Dark Elves had never spawned on the first Floor in the beta...

...Oh no. Wait, maybe we should just come back once we've all got a few more levels and -

Liz didn't let me finish. "No way! We came all this way, we might as well say hi! Yui, we just gotta start a conversation, right?"

"That's right!"

With a confident grin the pink-haired girl strode up to the Dark Elf. "Hey there, how's it going? Anything we can help you with, Miss Elf?"

The Dark Elf turned, and as soon as I saw her face I _knew_ I was doomed. For an instant, I wished I had my **incredible psychic powers** \- but they'd be useless here anyway, since I couldn't teleport with anyone looking at me. Stupid useless psychic abilities! You're the worst! "Hello, adventurer." The elf's black eyes roamed over each of the girls, one at a time. _'No, none of these girls are him.'_ "I'm afraid that you aren't who I am..."

Her eyes stopped on me, and her voice trailed off. _'He... looks different, but...'_

"Kirito?" Kizmel asked quietly. "Is that you?"

Yeah, it's me.

"Ah." Her lips curved into a smile. "I'm glad. I had hoped to see you this day."

"Wait wait wait, hold up." Liz made a T with her arms. "You two know each other?"

Yuna tilted her head. "Darling, is she another one of those MHCPs like Yui and Strea?"

"Em-Aitch-See-Pee?" Kizmel looked at me. "Your human words are so strange, Kirito."

It's, um... kinda like a job.

"I see, thank you." The elf smiled at me before she turned back to Yuna. "No, I am not an 'MHCP'. I am a Pagoda Knight, sworn to serve Her Majesty. As for how I knew of Kirito..." She pressed a hand to her heart, right over the center of her breastplate. "I cannot know for certain, but something deep inside me knew his name. I needed to find him, I knew. So I came here, using the secret passages the elves know."

_'H-Her heart?'_ Asuna looked at me. _'Wha-wha-what did he promise her?'_

_'Wow!'_ Strea smiled. _'Kirito's so cool! He's so cool that Kizmel remembered him from before!'_

I'm pretty sure that's not how that works at all! First off, how does she remember me?! She's an AI generated by the Cardinal system, and the servers should have been wiped between now and the beta!

I was so wrapped up in my own confusion that I missed what Kizmel said next. I didn't miss Yuna or Liz gasping in shock. "No way!" Yuna squealed.

"Kirito, you gotta say yes!" Liz told me. She grabbed me by the shoulders and shook me around for a few seconds.

Kizmel simply watched me silently. At least, she wasn't saying anything, though I could hear her thoughts. _'There is something that binds me to this boy... If he allows me to join him on his journey, perhaps I shall discover what it is.'_

She wants to come with us? I guess... There's no real reason not to say yes, I guess. Even if it does feel like I'm going down the wrong choice in an RPG if I wanted my perfectly normal life back.

I sighed. Kizmel, if you really want to come with us, you can.

The Dark Elf smiled. She really was pretty when she did that. "Thank you, Kirito. I swear, as long as I am able, I will stay by your side."

Asuna smiled. "Welcome to the party, Kizmel." _'I said that right, right? But why do I feel like this is dangerous...?'_

"Nya hah hah!" Everyone else jumped and started looking for the source of the voice. I just sighed. "Yer always full 'a surprises, aren't ya, Kii-boy?"

I looked up at the branches of the tree, and met the brown eyes of a certain whiskered info broker. Hi, Argo. It's good to see you too.

She clicked her tongue. "Aww, I was hopin' I managed ta sneak up on ya this time." Argo snickered again and hopped out of the tree. Her cloak settled down around her form. "An' there we go, that's -"

"Kana?"

Argo's face when Asuna casually called out her real name was a sight to behold. She flinched and then immediately tried to pretend she hadn't, all the while doing her best to put on a casual grin. "H-Huh? No, th' name's Argo, newbie. Not -"

"That _is_ you!" Asuna smiled. Argo's smile twitched weakly. "There's only one person I know with that laugh, and the way you called Kirito 'Kii-boy'..."

"Nya... hah hah..." Argo raised a finger. "I, uh... Ya got th' wrong gal?"

Asuna put her hands on her hips. "Why didn't you say something? We could have been playing with you all this time!"

"Yeah!" Liz pointed at her. "Were you trying to sneak around and spy on us or something?!"

"Kirito definitely doesn't have psychic powers!" Yuna added.

Yuna, thanks, but... you're _really_ bad at this lying thing.

Everyone stared at the idol, and she shifted in place. "Kirito, your friends are very strange," Kizmel whispered to me.

Tell me about it.

"A-Anyway, um..." Argo seemed so flustered by the fact that we knew who she was. "I guess there's no need ta hide it, huh? Good ta see ya in here again, Kii-boy. An' I see ya already got the family back together."

"Family?" Yuna asked.

"Oh yeah, you shoulda heard all the rumors 'bout Kii-boy, Strea, and Yui back in the beta." Argo pawed at the air. "I'd love ta tell ya, but it'll cost if ya wanna know~."

Liz folded her arms. "Cost? What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

"Means what it sounds like, Lizzy. A gal's gotta make col somehow, right?" Argo grinned. "This next bit 'a info's on th' house, since we're friends 'n all. I'm whatcha call an info broker. Buyin' or sellin', ya come see Big Sis Argo an' she'll hook ya up. Fer a fee, of course."

She rubbed her fingers together and I sighed. 'Anything to make a profit' should be her motto.

"Ah, it's that sort of job," Kizmel murmured.

"That sounds..." Asuna began.

"Greedy?" Argo offered. "Incredibly obnoxious? Rude? Shameless? Like someone who'd sell their own grandmother fer some col? Ahh, I've heard 'em all." She winked at me. "They whine an' moan, but guess who comes runnin' ta lil' ol' me when there's a new quest or a tough boss. That's right!"

Argo is the best info broker in the game, girls. She's earned it, too. Back in the beta, she always knew everything first.

Argo scratched at one of her whiskers. "Nya hah hah! I'll buy an' sell anythin'. Quests, player locations, boss strats... Even personal stuff like a guy's taste in gals or my three sizes. I offered mine ta Kii-boy once, he didn't bite."

"I sure hope he didn't," Asuna said.

Yuna glanced at me. _'Y-You wouldn't, you would?'_

Of course not!

Mollified, the girls turned back to Argo. "Anythin' at all. Like the secret b'hind my whiskers. I'll sell that beauty fer 10 million col. Cough up the price an' it's all yers~."

I already knew the secret. It was hard for anything to stay secret around me, thanks to my ability to read minds. The girls were still impressed by the price tag, though.

"So why were you sitting in the tree?" Liz asked.

Argo shrugged. "I like heights. Plus, soon as I heard 'bout a weird NPC that was ignorin' anyone - no offense, Kiz-chan -"

"None taken."

"- I could tell there was gonna be money in this somehow. But I can't believe Kii-boy beat me ta the punch. Will ya sell me th' secret? I'll pay double, triple! Promise!"

Sorry, we don't know what's going on ourselves.

Argo clicked her tongue. "Dang. Well, there goes that scoop."

The Rat chattered away at Kizmel the entire way back to town, trying to convince the Dark Elf to sell her information. Kizmel seemed used to that sort of attention however, handling Argo like she was the info broker's patient big sister. I would have laughed at Argo's complaint of, _'But _I'm_ supposed to be everyone's big sister...'_ if she had said it out loud.

Back in town, we started getting attention again. I ignored the thoughts of _'Whoa, what's with the NPC?'_ and _'That elf is hot'_ with a lot of practice. Kizmel didn't seem too comfortable in 'human towns', as she called them, which didn't surprise me; she didn't seem to be the biggest fan back in the beta either. She put up with it for some reason, but I could hear her thoughts and knew she loved the forests and wilderness more.

"It is beginning to get dark," Kizmel said. "Perhaps we should find an inn for the night?"

"That's a great idea!" Strea exclaimed. "Then I can get in bed with Kirito and cuddle up close and hug him reaaaally tightly!"

I ignored the looks Asuna and Yuna were giving me; Argo didn't even bat an eyelash, since she'd already heard all the rumors.

It's usually a good idea to rent an inn room before you log out for the night. You can just log out in the field, but your body will be vulnerable until you log in again.

"I see," Asuna said. _'For some reason, letting him stay with Strea and Kizmel sounds dangerous... But she seems like someone I can become friends with, so I can't be mean.'_ "Your beta testing knowledge is coming in very handy, Kirito. We'll have to keep you for ourselves."

"...Uh, Asuna?" Liz asked slowly.

Asuna had cupped her chin and narrowed her eyes in thought, staring at me. I shifted awkwardly under her scrutiny. _'Definitely, we can't let anyone else take him... Wait, why is everyone staring at me? ...EEP!'_ "I-I didn't mean anything like that!" She waved her hands in front of her even as she blushed. "Just that, just that you know so much, it's very convenient!"

"Uh huh, sure," Argo said with a sly grin. "An' notin' _that_ down, Kii-boy is a playboy gamer..." Hey! Why me?!

_'I'll help out, Darling~.'_ "As fun as this all is, girls," Yuna said, "it's getting late and we should really hurry up and log out to get something to eat."

"Dinner!" Asuna gasped. _'I hope it's not too late, or Mother is going to be angry!'_ "Kirito, where's the best inn?"

I gave the girls directions to the inn that had plenty of single beds. In my case, I had to head to a different inn; the one I chose was the best when it came to rooms with larger beds.

Sure enough, as soon as I paid for the room and laid down on the bed, Kizmel and Strea claimed either side of me. I wasn't even surprised.

"Night, Kirito," Strea said while she cuddled up to my chest.

"Yes, sleep well, Kirito," Kizmel said. Her breath tickled my neck. "We will see you in the morning." _'Hmm... I've never done this before, but it feels familiar...'_

Ugh... Why did my life have to be so complicated?! I miss my simple life before this story started ruining everything!

* * *

**August 16th, 2025**

"I greatly dislike this," Kizmel sighed.

"But you look beautiful, Kizmel!" Asuna said, clasping the elf's hand.

Kizmel smiled. "Thank you, Asuna. Still, I must admit that I am more comfortable in my armor than this gown."

Why does it look like I'm watching a little sister praise her big sister for how pretty she looks?!

It hadn't taken long for us to make it all the way to the 4th Floor, especially with Kizmel in our party. The Dark Elf was a huge help while we fought through the Floors, even if it meant I had to deal with plenty of stares and jealous thoughts directed my way when I walked into town accompanied by at least five beautiful and cute girls. We were currently working our way through the Elf War quest (on the Dark Elf side, naturally) and thanks to Kizmel being a permanent part of our party, we had access to Yofel Castle from the start.

"This castle is amazing," Liz said. "The view is great!"

Yuna nodded. "It's so beautiful." Honestly, I was a little surprised at how amazing everything looked. Back in the beta, the 4th Floor was bone-dry, and Yofel Castle had a cracked and dusty look to it. Now, though, everything was super colorful.

Kizmel smiled. "It has been some time since I've visited, but the baths are wonderful."

Asuna's eyes sparkled. "Baths?! We have to go take a bath now!"

I didn't understand the appeal, but all of the girls loved taking baths in the game. It was even one of Asuna's major requirements when it came to inns and places to spend the night.

"Kirito, will you be joining us?" Kizmel asked.

_'Uwaah?! A b-bath with - that's not possible!'_ Asuna blushed fiercely.

"Whoa, hey, a hot bath sounds great, but..." Liz shifted in place.

"I want to take a bath with Papa!" Yui said.

Strea nodded. "That sounds like a lot of fun!"

_'Uh, Darling, you're not really gonna...'_ Yuna stared at me.

"What is the matter? You humans are so strange." Kizmel shook her head. "Is there a problem with having Kirito join us in the bath?"

I'm just glad that Sugu isn't here, or she'd immediately drag me into the bath with her. This would be the perfect excuse, too.

Actually, I'm going to log out early. It's my turn to cook dinner, and besides I want to eat early, since tonight's the concert.

Yuna's eyes lit up. "You're coming, Darling! That's wonderful news."

I already said I would, didn't I?

"Well, yes, but something could have come up."

"We're all coming, Yuna, don't worry," Liz said with a grin.

Yuna clapped her hands together. "Ah! That's so amazing. I'll look forward to seeing you there. Oh, and you _have_ to come backstage after the concert, I want to see you all!"

"What are they talking about, Strea?" Kizmel asked quietly.

"Hmm... I dunno! But it sounds like fun!"

"Yuna is certainly excited."

...

Sugu could barely sit still during dinner. "I'm really looking forward to tonight!" _'Ahh, I'm going to go see a concert with Kazuto! We get to spend time together! This is the best day ever!'_ "I bet Yuuna's going to do really well!"

I'm sure she will, now eat your dinner.

"Okay!"

By the time we got to the concert hall, it was already filled with people. I sighed. This was going to be obnoxious to block out all the thoughts of all these guys, wasn't it? I really didn't need to know that the sweaty guys standing next to me were 'super huge fans of all starting idols' or whatever. Still, I wanted to make sure Yuuna was safe, so the creepy people with cameras would find that _somehow_ their cameras were out of batteries.

Hey, don't give me that! She's my best friend, so of course I'm going to protect her! You people, sometimes...

"Oh! There's Asuna and Rika!" Sugu slipped her arm around mine and dragged me towards the other two. "Hi there, we made it!"

"Right on time!" Rika grinned at us. "That means we're just missing Kana, now."

"I'm sure she'll be here," Asuna said.

I couldn't imagine any reason why she wouldn't make it in time. After all, I knew she was a ninja, so she'd probably just pop up out of nowhere right before the beginning of the concert.

"Alright, are you ready to cheer your loudest?" Rika demanded. "We have to make sure Yuuna hears us!"

Asuna smiled. "Rika, I'm not sure if that's possible. There's a lot of people here, after all."

"Then we just have to cheer louder than them!"

Sugu giggled. "I'm ready, Rika!"

I sighed and shook my head. I definitely wanted to see Yuuna perform, since I knew how hard she'd been working, but I couldn't help but wish she were performing anywhere _else_. It were way too many people here with their thoughts pressing at my telepathy, and it was really, really hot. Though I think that last one was mostly Rika's fault, because as soon as I stepped away from her the temperature dropped by five degrees.

I just really wanted to go back and play more SAO. I could go fight the 4th Floor boss, fight some mobs, grind Sword Skill practice, grind with Kizmel - to finish her quests! Not anything else! You bunch of perverts...

But I'd promised Yuuna I would be here. For the last few months, I knew how hard she'd been working (whenever she had a free moment, she'd be humming her songs or picturing her dance routine in her head to the point that I knew it almost as well as she did) and I wanted to see it live.

"Nya hah hah! Waitin' fer me~?" Like I'd expected, Kana popped out of the crowd as if she'd melted from the shadows. Stupid ninja skills of hers.

"I'm happy you made it," Asuna said.

Rika grinned. "I wasn't worried at all!" _'Whew... Everyone made it!'_

Sugu gasped as she stared at the stage. "Wait, I think it's about to start!"

The lights went dim, and the crowd quieted down a little bit. _'Here we go... Kazuto, I hope you're watching me!'_ Yuuna thought.

Suddenly, spotlights illuminated the stage. A pair of girls were standing in the center, holding hands. They were both wearing red and white dresses and practically sparkled in the light. Beside me, Rika and Sugu were screaming their hearts out and Asuna waved her hands in the air to catch Yuuna's attention. Kana had a few of the light sticks in her hand.

All of that wasn't important to me, though. I stared up at the stage, entranced by Yuuna.

Wow...

"Hi there, everyone!" Yuuna called out. The crowd roared back. "Thank you so much for coming to see our debut!"

"We'll do our best, so please cheer for us, okay?" the other girl asked. She sounded familiar, but I didn't try to figure out why.

Yuuna twirled around and posed, winking at the crowd. "And now for our first song!"

...

"They were so amazing!" Sugu gushed. _'Kyaaah! Idols are the best! They're so amazing! I can't believe Kazuto is friends with Yuuna!'_

Rika nodded. "That was so cool!" She clenched her fists, and the temperature went up another degree. Kana blinked and fanned herself with her hand. "I wonder if Yuuna will teach me the dance moves to that song or something like that?"

We were walking around backstage; all we had to do was show the special badges Yuuna had given us the day before to the people at the entrance and they let us through. The people behind the scenes were too busy moving equipment and electronics to pay much attention to us, so nobody asked any questions.

"Kazuto, do you know where Yuuna is?" Asuna asked me.

Um... That way, I think.

I couldn't exactly tell her I was searching for our friend with my telepathy. But it wasn't hard to find her either way, since there was really only hallway where we hadn't searched.

_'I did it! I performed without breaking everything! I can't wait to tell -'_ "Kyaa!"

I barely managed to stop in time before rounding the next corner. The excited thoughts were just enough of a warning to keep me from running straight into the girl that had rounded the corner without looking where she was going. She'd gasped and stumbled back but managed to keep her feet.

"I'm very sorry!" she got out before hurrying past us. _'That was... too close...'_

That was strange. I'd noticed the weird headband ribbon in her hair that looked a lot like a maid's headpiece, the same one that had been on Yuuna's idol partner. I guess we ran into the other one? I didn't remember her idol name, though.

"Ah! That was Nijika!" Sugu gasped. Nijika? Then that's probably... Oh, no. "That must mean Yuuna's this way!"

When we rounded the corner, we heard two voices coming from an open door. Only one of them was the familiar voice of my best friend. "...a while."

"A while? We haven't really spent time together for years, Yuuna."

"I know, and I'm sorry! But I was really focused on this, you know that."

"You really were amazing out there, you know."

"That's very sweet, Eiji. Thank you."

The guy sighed. "So this is it, huh? You made it as an idol."

"Why do you sound so irritated about that? You _knew_ that was my dream!"

"And I thought we were childhood friends, but I guess that didn't matter to you at all, did it?" _'Abandon me like that... That's not fair, I thought I was important to you!'_

I frowned. This guy sounds like a jerk. "Hey, this guy sounds like a jerk," Sugu said. "Should we go see if she's okay?"

Stop stealing my lines, Sugu.

"Huh? Stealing what?"

I ignored her question and walked over to the open door. "Fine, whatever. I'm glad your concert went well, Yuuna." I stepped to the side as a guy in a blue and black coat stormed past me. He glared at me and the rest of the girls as he walked past. _'I bet these are her _new_ friends, the ones she replaced me with. ...Tch. I'm just going home, I have class with Professor Shigemura tomorrow.'_

Wow this guy is a grade A Asshole. If everything in this story is cliché as the rest, then this is probably a villain I'm going to have to deal with eventually. I knew one would show up sooner or later.

At the very least, he was going home, so I could take care of things that were actually important. Namely, Yuuna. When I looked into the room, the girl was staring at her reflection in the mirror; she hadn't gotten changed out of her idol dress or taken out the circular hairpieces in her hair. She idly toyed with one of the red ribbons that dangled from them. _'I can't believe Eiji changed that much... He used to be so shy...'_

She turned around when we entered the room, and smiled as soon as she saw my face. "Kazuto! Everyone! Oh, I'm so glad you all made it!"

I could tell her happy-go-lucky smile was forced, I could read her mind. But Asuna immediately thought, _'Something's wrong... That guy must have really been rude!'_ "Yuuna, you were wonderful out there! Isn't that right, everyone?"

"Yeah, you were fantastic!" Rika exclaimed. "Totally amazing!"

Kana grinned. "Ya mind if I write an article 'bout it? I'm still holdin' out on Kazu-boy's psychic powers, so I need somethin' soon."

_'There she goes about his so-called psychic powers again...'_ Asuna shook her head. _'I wish Kana would stop saying ridiculous things like that.'_ "You should do that, Yuuna! I bet everyone at school would love to hear about it! Plus, then you'd have a lot more fans to come see your next concert!"

"Hee hee! Slow down, girls, slow down, I can't answer you all at once!" Yuuna giggled. "I wouldn't mind talking about it, Kana, but the producers might not like it. I'll ask them and then let you know what they say, okay?"

"Gotcha. An' ya were great out there, almost forgot ta say."

I shook my head as I watched the girls talk to Yuuna. Asuna hadn't said a word, but she'd immediately cheered Yuuna up just by having everyone else talk to her. Girls are pretty scary...

Once Yuuna was back to her normal self, we wrapped up the conversation. It was late, after all, and we had school the next day. "I'll see you all tomorrow, everyone!" Yuuna said. She gave us all quick hugs. "Thank you so so so much for coming to see me! It means a lot!"

"Bye, Yuuna," Asuna said.

"Asuna, you think we can stay a little longer so Yuuna can show me some of those dance moves -"

Asuna planted her hands on her hips and stared Rika down until the brown-haired girl sighed and stopped talking. "You know that growing girls need a full night's rest to grow," the beautiful girl said. _'...It's not fair, she's bigger than me...'_

Yuuna waved again as we all left. _'Thanks for coming to see me, Darling! I sang my best, just for you!'_

I guess I have to keep up my promise after all, huh?

...

The next morning, Yuuna was waiting right outside of my house and walked to school with me and Sugu. The two girls talked about last night's concert the whole way to Sugu's school while I mostly tuned them out. It was too early in the morning, and I still had a sinking suspicion Nijika was about to become another problem in the way of my peaceful, quiet life.

What can I say? I know how these things work. When I bumped into her yesterday? That was _definitely_ a flag.

"Kazuto, you've been lost in thought. Ooh, do you want a lozenge? That always makes me feel better." I turned down Yuuna's chirpy offer of the fruit-flavored candy. "What's on your mind, Darling? Spill, spill!"

Yuuna, how much do you know about your partner?

"Nijika? Not much, sorry. Poor girl didn't really talk to me much even while we were practicing together!" Yuuna pouted as she popped a lozenge into her mouth. "I really tried, but she was always focusing so hard on something. And she left immediately once we were done, too. Want one?" She offered the lozenge again.

She was really in a good mood this morning, not that I could really blame her. She only offered the lozenge more than once when she was really excited. I also knew she wouldn't stop, so I just went ahead and took it.

So you don't know what school Nijika goes to?

"Nope." Yuuna frowned at me. "Don't stalk people, Darling, it's not polite."

No, it's not... Oh never mind.

There was, in other words, still a really good chance that something ridiculous was about to happen as soon as I saw the girl that sat next to me.

_'That's... weird.' 'Fashion disaster alert...' 'I don't know, I kinda like it.' 'Why is she wearing a maid headband? Is it a punishment game or something?'_

The thoughts coming from my classroom told me I was already in some serious trouble. It _could_ be a total coincidence that someone had decided to dress up strangely, but I knew better. I'd already raised the flag by running into Nijika last night.

When I opened the door and saw Nijika sitting at her desk, wearing the same maid hairpiece from last night, I knew I was right.

Nijika looked at me when I sat down at my desk, directly next to her. _'Ahh! That's him! The guy from last night!'_

Why couldn't I be wrong? Just this once!?

* * *

**Sorry Kazuto, but you know the rules. You don't get a break ever. A break is space I could be filling with more light novel and manga clichés!**

**This chapter, anyway, is more of a transition one for moving into the new school semester than anything else. We also get to reintroduce Strea, Yui, and Kizmel! They'll be showing up from time to time, since it's the separate world. More importantly, Kirito gets to have his nightly body pillows back.**

**We also get to see Yuuna's debut. Good job, girl. Now she gets to be super famous! But who's this girl, with her… Hm… Who could it be…?**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	9. The Strongest Woman

**Chapter 9: The Strongest Woman; or, Really Really Bad Decision-Making Skills**

* * *

**August 17th, 2025**

I sighed. I could _feel_ Nijika sneaking peeks at me out of the corner of her eyes.

Why?! Why me! Why does everything I do have to raise a flag?! This author must have a grudge against me or something!

The worst part was, I couldn't really do anything about it. I might be **the world's most powerful psychic**, but that didn't mean anything when my powers were totally useless in this situation! I couldn't even pretend to be surprised, either, since my powers were almost always totally useless.

_'I know I saw him at the concert last night... Maybe he didn't recognize me?'_ Nijika looked at me again and fidgeted in her seat. _'I don't want to say anything if he doesn't...'_

How _wouldn't_ I recognize you?! You're wearing that same silly headband! Why are you even still wearing that, Nijika?! The concert was yesterday.

Nijika sighed quietly and toyed with a pen on her desk. _'I don't want him to recognize me... But what if he did, and he's just pretending? He knows that girl in the newspaper club, right?'_ Somewhere, Kana probably got very indignant that Nijika called it the newspaper club instead of Journalism Club, like she always insists.

_'Huh... Why do I feel like I should throw a kunai at someone fer screwin' up th' name 'a my club?'_

See?! Kunai! She's definitely a ninja! Not that any of you care, you're probably all too busy laughing at my misfortune.

It's just such a pain! I have no reason to tell Kana about Nijika at all, but I can't tell _Nijika_ that without telling her that I could read her mind thanks to my psychic powers - and that's something I definitely can't do, since there's no way I'm telling people about my powers. They're a secret from everyone, except Yuuna and Kayaba. Kayaba suggested that I not tell anyone about them because the government would want to study my abilities if they ever found out, and I'm not risking that. How else do you think I kept my NPC status for so long?

So I have to listen to her worry constantly about whether I was going to sell her out to Kana and expose her idol status to the entire school.

_'But how can I stop him from telling people?'_ Nijika peeked at me, then rested her head on her desk and groaned. _'Why does this have to be so haaaaard?! He already knows about _that_, and now he knows about this too.'_

I'm going. To scream.

_'Okay, you can do this, Nijika! Yuuna is friends with him, so he has to be nice, right?'_ "U-Um..." I looked at Nijika just long enough to meet her eyes. "I, um... We haven't talked much, b-but I wanted to say thank you."

For what?

"For the final... You dropped your pencil on purpose, right? After I broke mine." She smiled. Huh, I guess I can see why she's an idol, that smile is very cute. "So, thanks!" _'I did it! I talked to him! ...But how do I ask him about last night?! Gah, Nijika, you dummy! You ended the conversation too!'_ "By the way, this might sound a little weird, but did you go-"

When Ms. Ryoko walked in, I sighed in relief. Finally, something that would distract Nijika from focusing on me the entire morning!

"Oh, um, I'll... talk to you during break! I-If you want to!" Nijika said and looked up at Ms. Ryoko. I did notice she kept playing with her pencil.

"Alright, everyone. We're going to be reassigning seats for the new semester."

...I really should know not to tempt fate by now. It was almost as if I'd said, 'I only need one more drop' or 'As long as the super-rare enemy spawns soon' or 'At least it can't get any worse'. I was just asking for it at this point.

_'Darn it, I was so close to asking him too! It's okay, I can just ask later. I have to be calm and patient. Deep breaths, like Nanairo said.'_ And Nijika won't stop thinking about me, either!

Ms. Ryoko took out a big cardboard box and put it on the lecture podium at the front of the class. "I've written down all the seats on pieces of paper and put them here. You'll be pulling your new seat one at a time. Yes, that means it's random what seat you get."

All the class complained. _'Whaaat? But I want to sit with my friends!' 'I hope I get put next to a cute girl!' 'Please, please, let me stay next to Kazuto...'_

Wait, that last one was Nijika.

The first few people to pull their seats seemed pretty satisfied. At least, nobody complained out loud, so Ms. Ryoko seemed satisfied. Their thoughts weren't even that irritated. My turn to draw came up after five students had gone, so there were still a bunch of seats available. Really, I just needed to avoid anything along the window. Those were the worst seats for me. Yui had decided, one day, to explain about Protagonist Seats (even though I already knew).

The absolute worst one would be -

I stared at the seat number in my hand. The absolute worst one would be _this_ seat, one seat from the back and against the window.

Nope! Definitely not!

"Is something wrong, Kirigaya?" Ms. Ryoko asked.

This page is blank, Ms. Ryoko.

I held up the paper for her to see. The whole, unmarked paper that used to have my seat written on it in neat handwriting before I used my psychic powers to turn its time back twenty-four hours.

Ms. Ryoko took the page from me and stared at it. "That's strange... I could have sworn... Well, go ahead and draw again. Someone must have slipped it in there earlier to be funny."

Perfect. I reached into the box and pulled out a new seat.

Well, it wasn't much better, but it wasn't the Protagonist Seats at least. It was only one to the right of my previous seat, but that was still better.

After I got settled in my new seat, I paid less attention to the rest of the seats. The rest of the class could sit wherever, for all I cared.

_'Oh, please let me sit next to Kazuto...'_

Wait no I forgot about Nijika-!

_'Hooray! I'm right behind him!'_

I could only sigh.

When everyone finished drawing their new seats, I couldn't help but notice something was wrong: the two empty seats, one directly to my left and one right behind it. "Alright, everyone has their seats," Ms. Ryoko said. "These will be your new seats for the semester, so please get along with your new partners."

"Hey, are we missing someone?" one of the girls in the room asked.

Ms. Ryoko nodded. "Yes... We were supposed to be getting a new transfer student starting today, but I'm afraid she's not able to make it." _'I hope the poor girl is okay...'_

_'Another new student?' 'Couldn't make it? What's wrong?' 'I hope she's hot...' 'I bet she can't make it because she's in the hospital, or sick or something!'_

I hate having to listen to rumors. They're always the most annoying things, because I can hear how they change in real time.

"Once she's able to start, she'll sit in the back, by the window," Ms. Ryoko said. "Now, on to the rest of homeroom, everyone."

"Stand! Bow!"

...

My left eye twitched. Sure, it was deliberate on my part since I could control my biology perfectly thanks to my psychic powers, but it was still important.

Someone was following me. Oh, they were doing a great job, but I could track people with my telepathy. In other words, it was really, really easy for me to tell that Nijika had been stalking me ever since the breaks between classes. As soon as I'd stepped out of the room (because there was no way I was sitting there just waiting for Nijika to bug me about her whole idol thing) her thoughts had scrambled in a panic. _'O-Oh no, he's leaving the classroom, I bet he's going to go tell that newspaper girl! I have to follow him and see what he's going to do!'_

Guh... You really don't, Nijika! I don't even know where I'm going, but it's definitely not to talk to Kana!

Since there was no way I could just talk to her and say that, I'd been helpless to stop her from leaving the room right behind me. Of course, this wasn't anything new. Asuna had done her level best to track me down at the very beginning of the school year, and now I knew all the best places to hide and escape from someone.

The thing was... She was super good at this whole stalking thing! I don't know what it was, but no matter where I went her thoughts were right behind me. She had me in her sights the whole time! Hence my irritation. This girl just totally refused to leave me alone. _'He's going down the corridor... I wonder where he's going...?'_

I whirled around as soon as I heard her thoughts. She had to be looking at me, which meant that I could see her -

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. A few students gave me weird looks (_'Why'd he just turn around like that? Weirdo...'_) but there wasn't anyone peeking around a corner, or ducking into a classroom, or anything! _'Whew! I didn't expect him to turn around, but I think I made it in time.'_ How?!

This girl is better at hiding and stalking me than Strea and Kana combined!

I sighed and shook my head. Great. Just great. Well, the best thing to do would just ignore Nijika for now, since there's nothing I could do without finding her - and that was, apparently, impossible. All this running around was making me thirsty, so I stopped at the vending machine and fed it enough money to buy a bottle of tea.

_'Ah, he buys that kind of tea! I need to write that down!'_

She's taking notes on me? This is ridiculous! I whirled around and stared. This time, I knew by the thoughts that there weren't any other students nearby and Nijika was right behind me -!

I was greeted by the sight of an empty hallway. Again. How was she doing this?! _'Whew! I didn't expect him to turn around, but I definitely hid in time.'_ Where are you hiding!

Screw it. I just grabbed my bottle of tea and stormed down the hallway. If I couldn't deal with her, then I was just going to go hide in one of my IRL Safe Zones.

_'Oh no! He's going down the hall that leads to all the club rooms! The newspaper club is down there!'_ That's right, I'm going there! And there's nothing you can do to stop me.

Well, she could stop stalking me and stop me, but I knew she wouldn't do that. None of her thoughts were even close in going that direction.

I stopped outside of the club room and focused on the thoughts inside.

_'Ku ku ku! My powers may be sealed, but I can sense the presence of a powerful __Reincarnator_ _approaching!'_

_'She's laughing again...'_

_'No way she's right.'_

_'Wh-why don't they believe me? H-Have they been corrupted by the __minions and psychic onslaught of a __Dark General__?!'_

_'Great, now she's upset. Good job, leader... I'll check the door anyway.'_

Before I could knock, the door to the club room slid open. "See, Saori? Nobody's - oh!" The boy that opened the door blinked at me. "S-Sorry! I didn't know anyone was - wait a sec. Kazuto! Good to see you again."

Can I come in, Takuya?

"Yeah, yeah!" The beanie-wearing boy turned and called, "Hey guys! You'll never guess who it is!"

_'He's going iiiiin! He's going to tell them all about me! Everyone is going to know... huh? Computer club?'_

I stepped into the room as soon as Takuya went back to the table. There were two others sitting in the computer club, and they were the thoughts I'd heard from outside. One was a boy with short brown hair working on some sort of paper, while the other was a girl with black hair. What was really eye-catching (pun intended) was the black eyepatch the girl wore across her left eye; it had a golden crescent moon on the side facing us.

"Who is it?" she asked. "Who did my magical senses pick up?!" She was sitting in her chair - until she caught sight of me. Then she leapt to her feet. "Ahh! Ahaha! I knew I could feel the approach of my Fated Soul Twin!"

"Aaand there she goes again," Takuya sighed. He leaned back in his chair and spun a pen in his hand.

The boy writing on the paperwork didn't even look up. "You know how she is. Hi, Kazuto."

These were the Moonlit Black Cats - well, three of them, at any rate. The members of the Computer Club at my school were all part of the same guild; I'd met them in ALO back before high school and joined their guild as a mercenary when I wasn't playing with my little sister. After a few months we met up in real life and found out we were all in the same year in our middle school. Toshiyuki, the one doing the paperwork, was the leader of the guild and the president of the club. Takuya was the thief. And Saori...

"...fluctuations in the magical fields surrounding me! Naturally my full powers could read them perfectly, but since my eye was sealed - to protect the world from destruction - I could only guess at who it was!" Saori giggled. "I'm so glad it's you, my Fated Soul Twin!"

And Saori was the one currently rambling on about 'etheric capacitors' and 'magical conduits' inside every person. She was definitely cute, as long as you ignored her... tendency to go off about totally random things like that. She'd been like this as long as I'd known her, and according to the Black Cats she'd been like that even before they knew her. I wasn't very surprised.

Where are Kenji and Yonaga?

"Hmph! They've decided to undergo strict training in isolation!" Saori said, clenching her fist.

"They didn't come down here during break," Takuya said. "Something about working on their homework, I think."

Makes sense.

"Ku ku ku!" Saori posed, pressing the palm of her hand to her left eye. "This powerful seal... It's not strong enough to stop my powers completely! You... came here because of SAO, didn't you!"

Sure, I guess. Are you all playing?

"Sure are," Takuya said. "We've already gone through the Third Floor and remade the guild, too."

Saori raised her fist in the air. "It was hard fought, but we felled the foul tree! It was excellent practice for when I'm called to destroy the roots of Yggdrasil and usher all of Creation into the 14th Age!"

Why are you supporting Ragnarok, Saori?!

"Speaking of the Black Cats," Toshiyuki said, "are you sure you're not going to join us? I mean, if you're playing SAO."

I'm playing it, of course. I couldn't call myself a VR gamer if I wasn't!

"Same, man," Takuya grinned. "Hey, what level are you?"

I scratched my cheek. Did I really want to tell them my level? I was playing almost every night with the girls, and we were blowing through levels thanks to having Kizmel with us.

I'm, uh... level 10.

"Level 10?!" Saori gasped. _'Wow! As expected of my Soulbond!'_ So I'm her Soulbond, now? What happened to being a Fated Soul Twin? Is this an upgrade or a downgrade? "That's amazing, Kazuto!" She smiled at me and clapped her hands together. "We should definitely play together, sometime."

Why not? I'll introduce you to everyone.

"Everyone?" Takuya fumbled the pen, and it fell to the ground. "Wait, _the_ Kirito, the guy who's famous for going solo or with one person max, has a party?"

Hey! I'm not a loner or anything like that!

Toshiyuki grinned. "No, no, of course not. But it is a pretty big surprise."

Great, I walk in and you guys are already making fun of me...

The bell chimed and Saori gasped. "Oh, we have to get to class," she said. "I will see you on the field of battle, Kazuto!" I wasn't sure whether she meant SAO or just 'later'.

"See ya!" Takuya waved. "Feel free to drop by the club anytime. And come party with us sometime!"

Sure, sure.

I waved as I opened the door and stepped out of the classroom. It was weird, though. I didn't mind talking to the Black Cats, but it wasn't really how I'd intended to spend the break -

_'So he plays SAO! Maybe I should get the game... And he talks to the members of the computer club... Good, I'm learning a lot about him!'_

Oh. Right. I forgot about Nijika. She's not even trying to figure out how to stop me anymore, she's just taking notes!

...

I stepped out onto the roof. Rika waved to me. "Hey there, Kazuto!"

"Nya hah hah! Ya came without Yuuna havin' ta fetch ya, huh?" Kana grinned.

I'm not always late.

"Well, no," Asuna said, "but normally one of us has to go get you. Is something wrong? Are you sick?" _'Oh no, I hope he's not sick! Maybe I should go check his temperature by pressing my forehead to his...'_

No, I'm not sick.

Asuna paused halfway from getting up from her seat sheepishly and then sat back down. Rika grinned and nudged her. "You're so quick to be a mom, Asuna."

"Sh-shut up, Rika! It's not like that!" Asuna blushed.

As you know, usually I would prefer to just sit in my class in the vain hope that maybe the story would stop focusing on me for a moment and I would be able to enjoy lunch without being a main character. Normally, I never got the chance. So why, you're asking, am I willingly walking into an event that's guaranteed to put the focus on me?

_'Uwaaah! Th-That's the Princess of the school! Asuna Yuuki! I knew he was friends with her... but seeing him go up and sit casually like that...!'_

That would be why. Nijika wouldn't leave me alone, and there's no way I would ever get any peace and quiet if I just stayed in the classroom. I glanced at Kana, but the ninja just stared at me blankly. _'Huh? Why's Kazu-boy starin'?'_ "What's up, Kazu-boy?" Kana asked me through a mouthful of chicken.

Nothing, just wondering if you knew where Yuuna was.

"Nope, no clue," she said. "If I did, Big Sis would have ta charge ya, y'know?"

Quit trying to steal my lunch, Kana. Eat your own.

"Nya hah hah! Can't help it, yers always looks so delish!"

Sugu would never forgive me if I gave any of her carefully-packed lunch to someone else. Even if I told her I ate it all, she'd probably somehow figure it out anyway. Putting that aside though, it was really weird that Yuuna wasn't up there with us. The other girls were itching to ask her all sorts of questions about her concert, and...

On second thought, maybe Yuuna was making the right decision.

_'Ah! Someone's coming up the steps, I wonder who - Yuuna?!'_

_'Eh? That girl that just ran by... She looked familiar... I think I've seen her in Kazuto's class before. I didn't get a good look at her face.'_ Oh, Yuuna's coming. Right after I heard her thoughts, the door to the roof opened. "Hi everyone!" Yuuna sang as she stepped out. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Yuuna!" Rika jumped to her feet and rushed the poor girl to wrap her in a huge hug. "I know I said this yesterday, but congrats on your performance!"

"Eek... Thanks, Rika... Breathe... Can't..." When the brown-haired girl released my best friend, Yuuna gasped desperately. "Whew! Close one. You're almost as bad as Strea, honey."

"Hey! I am not!"

Yuuna sat down right next to me. "Congratulations again on your successful concert, Yuuna," Asuna said with a smile. "Here! Have a sandwich."

"Hey, Yuuna," Kana said with a grin, "did ya ask yer producers?"

Yuuna blinked. "Huh? Oh, you mean about the interview. Not yet, but I'll make sure to talk to them as soon as possible! I'm sure they'll say yes though."

"Lookin' forward to it."

While I worked on my own food, the girls focused entirely on Yuuna and her amazing concert. I added a few words of praise here and there when I wasn't eating a bunch of sandwiches, because she did such a great job. Once I was finished eating though, I waited for a break in the conversation. Soon enough, the other girls finished being so excited for a few minutes to focus on their own lunches.

Hey, Yuuna?

"Hmm? What is it, Darling?"

Your partner... Nijika is her name, right? What do you know about her?

"Why can't you be so interested about me, huh?" She leaned against me. "A girl's going to feel unwanted, Darling."

"Hey! Focus on her, not someone who's not even here!" Rika pointed at me accusingly.

It's not like that at all. Just humor me, okay?

"Fiiiiine." Yuuna pouted at me for a second, just to make sure I'd learned my lesson, and then sat up properly. "Um, like I told you earlier, she's really quiet. She never really talked to anyone and stayed away from the others. Maybe it had something to do with the reason she was so hesitant?" Yuuna tapped her cheek with a slender finger, the nail still painted a bright pink. "It was really weird, but she kept breaking things. Whenever we were practicing with prop mics, she'd keep snapping them by accident."

"Talk about bad luck," Rika said. "She kept getting all the defective ones."

"It was pretty weird," Yuuna nodded. "Oh! And she'd always love talking about her little sister! Every time we finished practice she'd run off to go be with her as soon as possible. Is it like that with you, Kazuto?"

Hm... Well, with Sugu it's more the other way around, most of the time. She keeps looking for excuses to spend time with me.

Asuna smiled at me. "Aww, that's so cute," she said. "My big brother usually spends time working, so I don't get to play with him that much. Ahh, I wish I had a little sister! I'd love to spend hours brushing her hair..." I could literally see the daydream Asuna was lost in, her eyes sparkling; the beautiful girl was doting over a miniature version of herself. Small Asuna was absolutely adorable, by the way.

Rika sighed. "Great, we lost her," she sighed.

"Eheheh," Yuuna giggled. "Anyway, hmm... I don't know where she goes to school... Is there anything else that sticks out..." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! That's right!"

"Somethin' juicy?" Kana asked. "Boyfriend? Girlfriend?" She gasped. "A _love triangle_?"

"Nothing like that, honey," Yuuna said. Kana sighed and shook her head in mock disappointment. "But it's kinda strange... Just before we put on the concert, her outfit got super modified! We're talking, last Friday, even."

Rika blinked. "That's not a lot of time."

"It's not," Yuuna said. "The designs had been set for _ages_. But then suddenly she has this weird maid headband added to her look and everything had to be updated for more frills..." _'Huh? Maid headband...? No, it must be my imagination.'_ She shook her head. "But as soon as she put it on, she was hopping around and dancing with no hesitation at all! The dear was so happy! She was _so_ excited!"

"Well, you were both wonderful yesterday," Rika said. "Kazuto couldn't tear his eyes away, right?" She elbowed me in the side.

_'Awww, thank you so much, Darling!'_ Yuuna winked at me. "I'm glad! I wouldn't want any of you to miss a single moment of my dazzling performance!"

The ringing of the bell startled Asuna out of her little sister daydream, and we all packed up. Time to go back to class.

"By the way, Kazu-boy," Kana asked. "How come yer so interested in Yuuna's partner?" _'Tch, he never jumps when I sneak up on him...'_ That's because you don't sneak up on me. I can tell where you are. "Some sort 'a psychic premonition~?"

Don't be ridiculous, Kana. And how come you don't know more? You're the ninja here, how come you haven't investigated her? Some info broker.

"No such thing as ninjas, Kazu-boy. An' hey, hey, don't look down on a gal's resources." She poked my chest. _'Yeesh, is he made of solid brick or something?'_ "Gimme th' name of her school an' I'll have everythin' ya want ta know by th' end of the week. Jus' be ready to pay up, got it?"

I'll keep it in mind, Kana.

But naturally, I wouldn't. After all...

_'Ah! He's finished with lunch! He ate... five sandwiches from Asuna, as well as a lunch prepared by his little sister. That's a lot of food! But his favorites were definitely the sandwiches. Hmm, maybe Nanairo would like it if I made her lunch?'_

I already knew way more than I wanted to about Nijika. Ugh.

I really hate whoever is writing this story and decided to make me the main character!

* * *

I tried desperately to focus on the droning English lecture. Please, let me learn about grammar and proper pronunciation!

_'He's friends with them...'_ Nijika thought. I could practically feel her eyes boring into my back. _'The Princesses of the school, and that super sporty girl too. And the... newspaper girl.'_

Journalism girl. Or ninja, if you'd prefer. But it didn't matter how she thought of anyone, because the entire time since lunch ended and she took a seat behind me Nijika had been staring! If I asked to borrow her notes, I bet they'd be blank! Or worse, filled with information about me!

Nijika took a deep breath. _'I have to do this. I have to make sure Kazuto will protect me from her. If I don't, then she's going to figure out who I am and write all sorts of things in the newspaper, and then people will be scared of _that_ again!'_ I wish I could tell her that Kana didn't even care. _'That means there's only one way to do this. I have to make him my boyfriend!'_

I nearly dropped my pencil. What?! No! There are - there are a million better ways to deal with this! Try talking to me! Instead of stalking, maybe words will help!

But of course it can't be too easy. The author just loves making me suffer in this stupid story!

_'Hmm... That means I have to put all my idol training to work until I'm so charming he can't help but fall for me! You can do this, Nijika!'_ Nijika clenched her hands. _'...I wish we were sitting next to each other so I could pretend to not have my books. Darn it! I'll just have to remember for tomorrow, to ask him anyway!'_

Why me!?

I left the room as soon as there was a break between classes because I really needed to use the bathroom. Plus, it got me away from Nijika even for a little bit. The girl was a wonderful person from everything Yuuna had told me, but right then and there I couldn't think of anything except for how instantly she'd thrown herself towards getting me to get her boyfriend. It was like she was more interested in forcing herself to fall for me than because she'd already fallen for me, or something like that.

Or maybe I was imagining it. Hopefully I was imagining it. Nijika was a good girl, and she deserved better than... that.

_'Okay, he's coming out of the bathroom soon. I have to be ready!'_ Oh come on! I can't even get a break here?!

_'Nijika counted to ten slowly, bouncing on the balls of her feet to keep herself loose and limber. When she heard footsteps coming from the bathroom (and she checked the tempo, it was _definitely_ Kazuto) she took a deep breath and made sure the stack of books in her hands would go flying at the slightest nudge. Her preparations complete, she took a step back and then ran forward just as the footsteps rounded the corner._

_"Eeek!" she squeaked as she collided with the dark-haired boy and toppled to the ground. "Oh no..." Both of them were sitting across from each other, her books scattered in the hall._

_"...I'm really sorry," Kazuto said. He got up and offered his hand to her. His slightly messy hair screamed out for a girl to run her hands through it to straighten some of the tangles, but when he smiled at her his eyes sparkled. "I wasn't looking where I was going."_

_Nijika gave him a sweet smile ('Guaranteed to drive the boys wild, honey', Yuuna had assured her) and let him pull her to her feet. Carefully, she 'lost' her balance just at the last second and fell into his arms. "Eep...!" She peered up at him. "Um... Kazuto...? This might be a little forward, but... would you like to g-go on a date with me?"_

_Kazuto blushed cutely and scratched his cheek. "H-How could I say no when you ask me like that?"'_

There are. _No_ words. For what I'm seeing Nijika imagine.

Who is that handsome guy she's imagining?! That's not what I sound like, for one! And I-I wouldn't get flustered over a girl asking me out like that, no matter how cute she is!

_'There are his footsteps... Here I go!'_ Nijika took a step back and then ran forward just as the footsteps rounded the corner.

"Eeek!" she squeaked as she collided with... nothing. Her books stayed in her hands and didn't so much as sway. "...Um?"

At the last second, I'd used my psychic power-enhanced physical abilities to pull off a wall run; I'd jumped straight over her and used my psychokinesis to ensure those books stayed right where they were. The end result? I was casually walking back to class while Nijika looked at the books in her hand and then over her shoulder at me. _'...Huh?! How did - What just - I don't... What's going on?!'_

Karatachi?

"Eep! Y-Yes?"

We're going to be late for class if you don't hurry.

"Coming!" Nijika ran behind me. _'Well, at least he said something to me! That's progress!'_ "U-Um, you can call me Nijika, I don't mind! Can... I call you Kazuto?" _'This has to work! An idol calling him by his first name! That'll make him fall for me for sure!'_

Whatever you want, Karatachi.

"You can call me Nijika," she reminded me.

...

Somehow, Nijika's thoughts managed to calm down after the break between classes enough that I could focus on taking notes in class. Asuna would definitely be willing to help me study, but that didn't mean I should take advantage of her wonderful nature. I didn't want the beautiful girl to think I was friends with her just because she was amazing at schoolwork.

_'Nijika stared at Kazuto's back until the boy was focused on writing down the notes from the front of the board. She took a breath and nudged the eraser on her desk with a forefinger. It needed to be lined up just perfectly or this wouldn't work, she knew; once it was angled perfectly, she flicked it with her finger._

_The little eraser rocketed off of her desk and landed right next to Kazuto's foot. The noise of its landing wasn't much, but it was enough to catch his sharp attention. He looked down and reached for it -_

_Just as his fingers brushed the top of her eraser, Nijika reached for the eraser herself. She timed it so perfectly that their fingers touched. Nijika looked up bashfully and met Kazuto's eyes for just a heartbeat before both of them blushed awkwardly. Neither of them moved their hand for just long enough to make the moment almost intimate..._

_This was perfect! "Can... I see you behind the gym once school is done...?" she whispered._

_Kazuto swallowed, and then nodded. Nijika could practically hear her heart trying to beat its way out of her chest, but she'd done it! She'd asked him to meet her behind the gym!'_

I made my eye twitch again. It just felt right.

Behind me, Nijika lined up the shot and flicked at the eraser - only for it to move barely a millimeter. _'Huh? I know I hit it hard enough!'_ She lined it up again and tried to flick it, and again it barely shifted. _'Grrrr! I almost want to flick it full force...! No, no, you know better than that! Maybe if I shove it...'_

This time, when she pushed at it with a delicate finger it simply rotated in place.

For once, my psychokinesis is coming in handy. All I had to was nudge the eraser a little bit at a time and it would screw everything up. I'm not letting that daydream come true, because if it did my peaceful life would be out of reach forever!

...

I stared up at the board in dismay. How had I missed this?!

_'Whew... I'm glad I was able to swap cleaning duties today!'_ Nijika thought. _'Now I get to work with Kazuto!'_

Grrr... I can't believe I forgot to check that part. I know how she's going to try to play this, too - we'll be working together, and then once the sun is starting to set and it's just the two of us in the room, the mood will be perfect for her to blush and confess to me! I don't even need my **incredible psychic powers**, it's a play straight out of a romance novel!

Plus, it was almost the end of the day. I would never be able to find anyone to swap with me at this short notice. All of their thoughts were filled with how they just couldn't wait to go home, go to club, or go play with their friends. I'm stuck!

Before too much longer, the end of the day was on us. After the bell rang to dismiss everyone, Nijika and I got to work. "Alright... Let's see, I'll start cleaning the blackboards. Kazuto, could you start wiping down the desks?"

Sure, Karatachi.

"You can call me Nijika," she reminded me.

Despite the perfect opportunity for her to start flirting with me - maybe she would offer to take the trash out with me, or she'd draw the little love umbrella over our names on the blackboard and then erase it in embarrassment just after I cought sight of it - Nijika got straight to work without hesitation. I stared at her in surprise as the idol happily started cleaning up the board, humming a song. I even recognized the song; it was one of the ones she and Yuuna sang at the concert.

Huh. It was like she was off in her own little world, immediately. ...Honestly, it was kinda cute, the way she hummed and sang to herself just like Yuuna.

Well, that's good. If I didn't have to worry about another 'attack' from Nijika, then I could just hurry up and clean the classroom. Sugu was already upset enough when I texted her and told her that she should walk home by herself since I had to clean up the classroom; the longer I took, the more clingy she'd get when I got home.

I shuddered just thinking about it.

Still, though, it was really weird that Nijika was just humming and cleaning without a care in the world. She was so excited about cleaning the classroom with me, I would have thought she'd make a move by now.

Hey, Karatachi?

Nijika turned and folded her arms. "I keep telling you, Nijika is fine! But, what is it?"

I was just wondering why you wore that headband today.

_'Oh no! He's asking about it... What do I say...'_ "Oh! Um, promise you won't tell?"

I can keep a secret.

"If you say so," Nijika said. "But, well... I used to work a part-time job in Akihabara at a maid cafe, where I had to dress up and things like that. And, well, this is really important to me, so I decided I should start wearing it from now on."

Huh. That explained a lot, I guess. Though something about her explanation didn't make a whole lot of sense...

_'Hooray! Kazuto talked to me first! That must mean he's starting to get interested, right?'_ Nijika, when she thought I wasn't looking, did a little shimmy in place.

Crap! I was so curious I forgot! I think I walked straight into this, I have to get out of here!

A-Anyway, the desks are clean, Nijika, so I'm going to take the trash out.

"You can call - oh, uh, sure. And then you can go home, I'll finish up here, okay?" Nijika smiled at me.

Really?

"Yeah! You have a little sister, right? I've heard you talk to Yuuna about her." The idol nodded. "Little sisters are important to cherish, so you should hurry back to her!"

I stared at Nijika for a second, then nodded.

Nijika blushed. "I-I didn't mean that in a weird way or anything like that! I have a little sister of my own, that's why I thought..."

...Well, if you have a little sister too, then I'll stay to help you. That way you can get back to her as soon as possible yourself, right?

I scratched my cheek, and Nijika beamed at me. "Yeah! Thanks, Kazuto."

Eheheh... Wait, no, I can't let myself go along with the flow! This is the worst!

Taking out the trash didn't take that long, fortunately; it helped that thanks to my psychic powers, I was so strong that carrying the bins wasn't difficult at all. Nijika was still almost totally done cleaning up everything by the time I got back to the classroom. "Oh, you're back!" Nijika smiled. "All that's left is to take these handouts to the teacher. Do you want to go together?"

Sure, I guess.

_'Yes!'_ Nijika thought. _'This is perfect! We had a great mood going on earlier when we were talking about our little sisters, so I can make a move!'_

I knew it was a trap!

_'While they were walking through the hallway, Nijika took a deep breath. She needed to be careful about this! She 'accidentally' stumbled and staggered to the right where Kazuto was walking next to her. He managed to catch her in his arms, but the papers they were carrying went flying. Nijika stared up at him, a blush staining her cheeks. "K-Kazuto... You caught me..."_

_He scratched his cheek adorably. "I couldn't let you get hurt, Nijika. You're way too cute..."_

_"I-I-I think you're cute too," she stammered. Wait, did guys like it when you call them cute?! She wasn't sure! Yuuna had never mentioned that to her! "I-I mean, um... thank you for making sure I was okay. Would you... maybe like to stop by a cafe on the way home?"'_

_'Yes, that'll be perfect!'_ Nijika thought. _'It'll definitely play out just like that!'_

Hey, I wouldn't say something like that! This girl is making up some weird Kazuto in her head! And I'm not cute or girly at all!

Nijika took a deep breath, and then 'accidentally' stumbled. She staggered to the right where I was walking next to her. Unfortunately for her, her right food slid out (thanks to my psychokinesis) and she suddenly had her balance back before she could bump into me and throw her papers everywhere. _'Eh? What just happened? I could have sworn I... Well, there's still time! I'll try again!'_

The next time she stumbled, I used my psychic powers to slide her foot back in place again. The third time she tried, she couldn't even stumble 'accidentally' before I caught her with my powers. The poor girl grumbled under her breath when we slid the door open to the teachers' room. I just sighed a quiet sigh of relief. Somehow, my peaceful life hadn't been pushed further out of reach... but the whole day had been exhausting!

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow," Nijika said.

Mm-hmm. See you tomorrow, Nijika.

...

When I finally made it home, I collapsed on the couch with a huge sigh without so much as going upstairs and getting changed.

Ugh. Today was _exhausting_.

Sugu collapsed on the couch right next to me. Unlike me, she'd gotten home earlier and taken the time to get changed into some casual clothes.

"Ugh," she grumbled. "Today was _exhausting_."

The two of us just sat together, leaning against each other silently. Even Sugu's thoughts were tired. _'Mmm... I still have homework, but I don't wanna move...'_ Really, it was just nice to relax like this after a long day.

...I almost couldn't believe I was sitting there next to my total brocon of a little sister and it honestly felt relaxing after the day I had.

I stood up and stretched. Sugu let out a quiet mewl of complaint when she toppled over, but otherwise didn't move from where she was flopped across the couch.

Sugu, you have some homework, right? While you're working on that, I'll make us some dinner.

"Do I have to...?" she complained. When I nodded, she sighed and slowly pushed herself upright. "Okay..."

...

Dinner was something quick and dirty, and once we finished eating I headed upstairs and logged right into SAO to play for a little bit before going to bed. I was still pretty tired, though, and I yawned as I walked around town with Yui, Kizmel, and Strea.

"Are you tired, Kirito?" Strea asked. "If you ask, I can give you a lap pillow anytime!" I ignored the way other players glared at me.

It's fine, it was just a long day.

Kizmel nodded. "While I do not understand your frequent disappearances, whenever I struggled in my training or my duties as a knight I always found it helpful to speak with my younger sister."

"Yeah! Tell us about everything, Papa!" Yui chimed in.

It wasn't that interesting. We got new seats and I got a new stalker on top of things.

"Ooh, new seats!" Yui, how was that the part you focused on?! "Did you take the seat next to the window and one from the back?"

...No, I refused that seat.

"What! Papa, that's the worst!" Yui folded her arms. "That's the perfect seat for you!"

"Awww, this all sounds like so much fun," Strea said. "I wish I could go be a high school girl too! Asuna and Yuuna and everyone make it sound amazing!"

Well, sorry, Strea. Tell you what. I'm sure there's a quest like that somewhere in SAO, so once we find it, I'll go through the quest with you.

"Really? Yay!" Strea cheered. "And then do we get to have some mucosal contact?"

Wha- No! That's forbidden!

"Aww, but I want to have my wings again..."

Yui looked up at me. "But Papa, from all my research, that's a very important part of high school relationships, and since you've winged Strea she's your -"

I'm not listening to this! C'mon, Kizmel, let's go fight some mobs. Away from these girls!

"Certainly, Kirito." The dark elf smiled at me. It felt like the comforting smile of a big sister. Ahh... I could feel my worries melt away.

* * *

**August 18th, 2025**

My eye twitched.

Alright, enough is enough.

"Eh? Whatcha talkin' 'bout, Kazu-boy?" Kana asked.

Wait, you still haven't noticed?

"Noticed what?" Rika folded her arms. "What the heck are you talking about?"

Just wait here.

"Hey!" Rika yelped. I ignored her and headed over to the entrance to the roof. "Where are you going! Explain what's going on!"

_'Eh? Ehhh?! Why is he coming this way?! Did he figure out I was here?!'_ Nijika panicked. _'N-No, just stay calm, there's no way he knows I'm hiding behind the door!'_ Well, that made things easy.

You might as well come out, I know you're hiding behind the door.

_'Whaaaat?! No waaay!'_

"What? Who's there!" Rika immediately jumped to her feet. "If you're trying to spy on Asuna, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Asuna smiled weakly at Rika. _'I wish she wouldn't try to chase people away... Though someone that's spying on us...?'_

_'Crap, how didn't I notice their presence?!'_ Kana didn't so much as flinch outwardly. Her thoughts were a different story. _'That's crazy... They must be from a really well-trained ninja family!'_

She's not even a ninja, she's just a great stalker.

"I-I'm coming out, please don't be mad..." Nijika called out. While the other girls were stunned by the sheer fact that our stalker was a girl, she stepped out onto the roof with us.

"Aaaaah!"

We all stared at Yuuna, who had immediately shouted and pointed a finger directly at Nijika. "Um, Yuuna, is something wrong?" Asuna asked.

"Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" Yuuna squealed. "Nijika, honey, I didn't know you went to our school!"

"Wait, Nijika?" Rika said. "Like, _Nijika_ Nijika, your partner Nijika? The idol one?"

Nijika shifted awkwardly. "I, um... Sorry for peeking... I just wanted to talk to Kazuto about something, but it doesn't matter now."

_'...Kazuto?'_ Every single girl thought in unison.

Asuna was the first to shake her head. _'Well, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.'_ "Why don't you sit down and eat lunch with us, Nijika?"

"Eh?" Nijika stared at her. "You're not mad?"

"Well, it would have been nice if you hadn't been following us," Asuna said, "but it's not like you had any bad intentions, right?"

"O-of course not!"

Rika grinned. "If Asuna says it's okay, then sit down! We've got some lunch to eat!"

Nijika didn't even have a chance to get her feet under her before Rika and Yuuna had dragged her over and set her down. "So, Nijika," Kana said, "you're an idol too, eh? Wanna do an interview with me an' Yuuna? I'm always lookin' for a story, y'know."

"We loved your concert on Sunday," Asuna added. "Your voice was wonderful, and you looked beautiful up on the stage!"

Nijika smiled. "Thank you for saying that... It's very kind." _'Why are they so nice? I was spying on them...'_

Rika scratched her head. _'I don't really get why Asuna's being so nice... Grrr, I just can't trust her yet!'_ I glanced at the freckled girl. I couldn't blame her for being suspicious. I had the advantage of being able to read Nijika's mind to know she didn't mean any harm, but all Rika knew was that an idol had been stalking us.

_'Darling, is Rika feeling a little reserved?'_ I looked over at Yuuna's thought, and she met my eyes. After a second, I nodded. _'Thought so. The dear is always so energetic but she hasn't said a word since she started eating. I'll talk to her after I finish eating!'_

Speaking of food, I had a few sandwiches to eat. Nijika's appearance had interrupted me, but I needed to get back to my favorite part of the day (besides when the story's focus was off of me during a time skip). Asuna's sandwiches were the best!

_'...Why do I feel like Kazuto is praising another girl instead of me?'_ ...Sugu's intuition was pretty scary...

After she finished eating, Yuuna quietly tapped Rika on the shoulder and walked over to the side of the roof. _'I wonder what she wants to talk to Rika about,'_ Asuna thought. _'Maybe about Nijika?'_ Any girl's intuition was pretty scary! Was this the power of a Princess of the school?!

"So what's it like, bein' up on stage with everyone starin' at ya?" Kana asked Nijika.

The maid idol smiled weakly. "Well, I try to just do my best, without thinking about it..."

"Huh. Don't think I could ever do somethin' like that," Kana said. _'Well, maybe if I had a good reason, but none 'a my ninja training has anything.'_

"Sure you can, Kana," Asuna said. "It's just a matter of practice."

"Nya hah hah! Maybe fer a beauty like you, A-chan~."

Asuna blushed prettily from the compliment but just shook her head. "Don't say things like that. You're pretty too, Kana. Right, Kazuto?" Why are you asking me?!

Kana snickered. "Aww, ya blushin'? Tongue-tied by Big Sis Kana's cuteness?"

I just didn't want to talk with my mouth full.

The other girls giggled at me. Sigh. This is why I didn't want to deal with people - they try to gang up on me.

_'Okay Darling, I asked Rika to give Nijika a chance. She said she'd try to get along with her.'_ Yuuna smiled at me as she came back and sat down between me and Kana. "Sorry about that, girls!"

"It's fine, Yuuna, we were just talking to Nijika about being up on stage," Asuna told her. "Was Rika a bother?"

"Hey!" Rika waved her arms wildly as she walked back. "I'm not a bother! We were just talking about... stuff!"

She was always so excited about everything, so I really shouldn't have been surprised when she accidentally knocked Nijika's maid headress off of her head. "Eek!" the girl squealed, and ducked her head.

"Oh jeez I'm so sorry," Rika said. "Crap, I wasn't thinking, I'm so so sorry!"

"It's okay, you didn't hit me," Nijika said. "I just need to -"

_Crunch!_

I stared in surprise. Everyone on the roof stared in surprise. Nijika blushed fiercely and very, very slowly pulled her hand away from the small crater she'd left when she leaned over to pick up the hairpiece. "Um... What?" Rika asked slowly.

"I, um..." If Nijika blushed any harder, she'd probably catch fire. _'Oh no, now they'll all start saying things about how clumsy I am, and how I'm going to break everything, and... oh no...'_ "I can explain?"

"Nijika, honey, don't worry," Yuuna said. "We're not going to bite. Take a deep breath and relax."

Nijika did exactly that and some of the tension left her body. "...If I move any more, I might break more things... Kazuto, could you get my headband and put it back on my head?"

I shrugged and got up to grab it. I had no idea why it would change anything, but it would probably calm Nijika down a little bit more. As soon as I placed it on her head, a shiver ran up her entire body and she sighed with relief. _'Oh good... I can move without worrying about things, now!'_

"Um, I'll ask the obvious question," Kana said. "What th' heck's _that?_!" She pointed at the cracked part of the roof.

Nijika giggled weakly. "It's... something strange with my body. You know how human bodies have built-in limits to our strength, that prevent us from using all of it and hurting ourselves?" She said it like she was just reciting something she'd heard a hundred times again. _'What did Nanairo say...'_ "My brain doesn't seem to have those limits, so if I'm not careful I'll exert all of my strength at once. It usually ends up with... that happening."

Oh! Like how your pencil snapped during the tests.

"Uh huh," she said. "Thank you so much for lending my yours, by the way!"

"But hang on," Yuuna said. "You were dancing around during practice once you got your costume change. There's no way you could do that if you were focusing on every movement."

Nijika smiled widely. "My little sister is amazing! That's what happened. She made me this headband that acts as the limits my body doesn't have! As long as I'm wearing this, I won't break anything at all!"

"Wow, your sister sounds super smart if she can make something like that," Rika said.

Nijika nodded. "Yeah! She's a certified genius!" She sounded so proud of that, too. She really did love her little sister.

Yuuna leaned across me and gave Nijika a hug. "Aww, thanks for sharing this with us, honey. It's sweet that you'd trust us with this!"

The look on the girl's face was priceless. "Y-Yuuna? You're not... scared?"

"What, scared? Pffft!" Yuuna waved a hand in the air. "You're not scary at all, honey!" _'After all, there's someone here who's way scarier, isn't that right, Darling?'_

I'm not scary at all!

Yuuna winked at me. "But anyway, Nijika, how come you were peeping on Kazuto?"

The other idol peeked at me out of the corner of her eyes. "It's silly now, but... I was worried he knew about my strength issues and was going to tell Miss Izawa and she'd write an article about how I was an idol but still smashed everything."

"Hey, I have standards!" Kana yelped.

Standards like 'Kazuto has psychic powers'?

"Well yeah, but that's 'cause ya do, an' it's news!"

Nijika giggled. "Now that I've talked to you, I know you're not that kind of person. It makes my plan to make Kazuto fall for me and become my boyfriend seem kinda silly in hindsight!"

Every other girl on the roof stiffened and turned to stare at me.

_'Become her boyfriend?!'_ Asuna thought.

_'Whoa, this girl just goes for things!'_ Rika thought. _'That's pretty cool!'_

_'K-Kazuto, you wouldn't do that, right?'_ Yuuna thought.

_'Oooh, I'm sniffing out a story here~,'_ Kana thought with a smug grin.

Great. Just great.

* * *

The rest of lunch had been a little bit stressful, with all of the girls staring daggers at me and interrogating Nijika about what she meant by 'trying to make me fall for her'. Fortunately it didn't last too long, and I was able to escape to class. The best part of all of this was that now that Nijika's (totally irrational) concerns that I was going to expose her secrets were put to rest and I could focus on class for the rest of the day.

As soon as the bell rang for the end of the day, I did my best to get out of the school quickly without anyone catching me. _'I want to follow him...'_ Nijika thought. _'But I have practice today! Aww, this sucks!'_

Good. I'm glad I don't have to go pick up Sugu with a strange girl following me; she'd probably end up causing chaos in the middle of the street. Besides, I'd already dealt with enough craziness for one chapter of this stupid story my life had turned into.

When I walked up to the gate of Sugu's school, she was already waiting there. _'Hooray! Kazuto's here! It feels like forever since I've seen his face!'_ "Hi Kazuto," she said simply. My little sister's brocon-hiding Skill must be maxed out!

Ready to go, Sugu?

"Actually, we can't yet. I have to go bring some classmates to our house. We have a project we need to work on together."

Huh. Alright, sure.

Sugu nodded and went back inside. I stood by the side of the gate and waited patiently, scrolling through my phone and looking at articles about SAO. Huh, it looked like they'd drop a pretty big update in a few weeks, just before Christmas. That'd be perfect, since I could play all break long!

"Kazuto, I'm back!" I put my phone in my pocket and looked over at Sugu's call.

_'Whoa, is that her big brother...? He looks... girlier than I expected, but he still looks really really cool!'_ I stared at the smaller girl walking next to Sugu. As she approached, the bells tied into her twintails chimed in a soothing rhythm. "It's nice to meet you, Suguha's big brother! She's talked about you a lot!"

"Uwaaah! Keiko, don't say things like that!" Sugu exclaimed, waving her hands with a cute blush on her cheeks.

Who's this, Sugu?

"Ah! I'm sorry!" The girl shook her heads and the bells chimed again. "That was so rude! I'm Keiko Ayano. Your sister is one year older than me, and is my good friend!" Huh. Sugu has a friend. Good for her.

Sugu coughed. _'I can't let her keep staring at Kazuto!'_ "Don't be weird to her, Kazuto. And... where's..."

"I'm right here."

The quiet voice came from another girl approaching us. She had black hair like Sugu, but it was longer, with a pair of white ribbons tying her bangs out of her face on either side. She stopped and stared at me. After a second, her eyes lit up. "Master!"

…What?!

* * *

**Hmm, I think I smell a _situation_ approaching.**

**Other than the ending, hello to Nijika! Those of you who've played the Gameverse might have recognized her earlier thanks to her last name appearing during the finals, but maybe this is a surprise to you! Prior knowledge of her character really isn't that important since I'll be doing my best to organically introduce her character in the story, but if you absolutely need to know, here's the cliffnotes:**

**Nijika Karatachi is an SAO survivor introduced in Lost Song when she starts playing the game under the avatar name Rain. She follows Kirito et al for a while, then joins up with them after he catches them. She helps them clear a few dungeons by giving them information she snagged from joining the top guild, Shamrock. Everything else is going to be covered in the story, more or less.**

**She's also a romance idiot! If there's an 'imagination scene' that plays out for a while (like Nijika's fantasies) it'll be in italics like that. Hopefully it's not too bad on the eyes.**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	10. Read Between The Lines

**Chapter 10: Read Between The Lines; or, A Sudden Change In Perspective Matters**

* * *

**August 17th, 2025**

...Eh? It suddenly felt like people were watching me. But that didn't make any sense at all; the dojo was empty aside from the sound of my labored breathing, and there was no way anyone could be peeping from outside. So, it just had to be my imagination!

My name is Suguha Kirigaya, and I'm a perfectly normal middle school girl! I'm a national-level kendoka, and every morning I wake up bright and early to do my morning practice. This morning, a hundred swings was my workout, because I still had school! I couldn't exhaust myself.

Once I finished with my swings, I wiped at my forehead with a towel and greedily opened up the water bottle I'd brought to the dojo for this exact reason. If it were cooler, I'd love to go out and do my morning practice in the back yard, but it was still so warm out. I was already sweating a lot just from being in here!

"Puahh! Nothing beats some bottled water after kendo!" Well, nothing except Kazuto!

My amazing big brother is the best, after all. There's no doubt about it! I giggled as I went into the house to take an early shower. Yep, yep. He's really smart, and cute, and he's an amazing gamer! Anybody that got to know him would love him just as much as I do. But, people wouldn't understand, so I take extra care to keep my true feelings quiet. There's no way anyone knows how I feel, especially not Kazuto. It'd be embarrassing if he did...

After I finished my quick shower, I poked my head out of the bathroom - and then sighed. Darn it, Kazuto's door was still closed! I couldn't 'accidentally' walk out and run into him in just my towel! It would have worked perfectly, too! I could picture it clearly in my head: Kazuto would be closing his door so he wouldn't notice me until it was too late for either of us to get out of the hallway, and then he'd turn around. His eyes would widen as he stared at my towel-clad body. And then I'd let out a 'Kyaa!' and run to my room while Kazuto would go bright red and cover his eyes, probably saying something like 'I-I-I'm definitely not staring! I didn't see anything!'

Then I'd peek around the corner and ask, really shyly, 'R-really? You didn't see?'

'N-No, of course not,' he'd say.

After I got changed, I'd come down to make breakfast for myself and Kazuto. While we ate breakfast, he'd keep looking my way and then immediately tearing his eyes away, a cute blush on his face. Then I'd grin and tease him, because he's so cute when he's flustered. 'Hey, Kazuto, what are you thinking about? Pervert...'

Aaaaah, then he'd get all red and complain that he's not thinking about anything like that~ and I'd -

My super pleasant daydream was interrupted when I heard a quiet _thunk_ from Kazuto's room. Ah! He was up. I hurried to my room to finish getting dressed for school. After a quick glance in the mirror, I ran my hairbrush through my hair one last time and then headed downstairs to get started on breakfast and lunch. I always packed my big brother's lunch with lots of love! Plenty of rice, veggies, and that chicken he really likes. He always eats all of it, and I'm so glad he loves my food!

Speaking of lunch, though... He's been getting really close to all those girls at his high school! Those hussies keep tempting him away from me by spending so much time with him. It's not fair! "Hmph!"

Kazuto stumbled into the living room and sat down before he mumbled a greeting through his yawns.

"Morning, Kazuto," I said. "Breakfast is almost ready!"

I smiled as we ate breakfast. Ah, the way he eats in the morning is so cute! Kazuto is just the best! Kyaaa! I wish I could spend all day with him!

When we finished eating and headed outside, I blinked. "Yuuna! Hi!" The idol was waiting right outside our front gate, humming to herself.

"Oh, hi there, Sugu!" Yuuna smiled at me. "Thanks for coming yesterday."

"Of course! You sounded amazing, by the way!" Yuuna might be one of the girls chasing after my big brother (when he should be _mine_!) but she was still really cool! The way she stood up on that stage and glittered like that... She's definitely a sparkling idol! "If you ever release any CDs I'm definitely going to buy them!"

Yuuna giggled. "Thanks for your support, honey! It means a lot coming from you." She winked at me, and my heart skipped a beat. N-No, I can't feel like this! My heart is reserved for Kazuto only!

...

"See you later, Kazuto." I waved goodbye to my brother and Yuuna at the entrance to the middle school. This is always the woooooorst! I wish I could be in high school and be in Kazuto's class. Then I'd get to spend all day with him, and we wouldn't have to be apart ever. That'd be so amazing!

I sighed as I sat down in class and made sure my shinai rested comfortably on my chair. Unfortunately, that'd never happen. I'd have to wait a whole year until I was in high school, and even then we wouldn't be on the same floor. Ugh, that sucks!

"Hey, did you hear?"

I perked up at the gossip going on. A few of the girls got in before I did, so they always heard the new rumors floating around. "No, no, what?" the other girl asked.

"Apparently we're getting a new girl in our class," the first girl said. "Don't know why she didn't just transfer in."

"I hope she's cute," one of the guys said.

The girls both scoffed and said, "Boys."

A new girl? I couldn't help but wonder what she'd be like. Maybe she'd be really cute! Or super mature? Ooh, it'd be really nice if she wanted to be friends! I'd been going to this school for three years now, but I'd only made one friend so far. That didn't matter when Kazuto was here with me, but once he'd moved up to the high school I realized that it was really lonely without anyone else.

I clenched my fists. I was going to do this. I was going to make friends with the new girl! Kazuto would be super proud of me if I did, and he might even pat my head and say I did a good job!

"Haven't there been a few transfers in the high school?"

"I wonder if she'll join our club if I ask her..."

"Alright, class, settle down please," Mr. Narita said. I sat up when our teacher entered the room. He was the no-nonsense type of teacher, so we listened to him and quieted down. He had glasses and was pretty tall, too. I bet some of the girls in the class had a crush on him, but not me! Nobody could beat Kazuto! Plus, he was married. "As I'm sure some of you have heard, a new student will be joining us."

The announcement spawned a bunch of whispers, and a few people raised their hands. "Is she here?" "Is she starting today?" "Where did she come from?"

Mr. Narita raised his hand. "Instead of asking me, why don't we let her introduce herself. Come on in, please."

The classroom door slid open and someone stepped through. The slender girl wrote her name on the board and turned around to face us. Shino Asada bowed slightly. "My name is Shino Asada. It's nice to meet you all. I'll be joining your class for the rest of this year."

She was really cute, with black hair that reached her neck. Twin white ribbons tied her bangs off to each side of her face. After all that, the next most obvious feature was the pair of glasses sitting on her face. A girl with glasses... Maybe Kazuto's into that type? Should I try wearing glasses? Maybe I'll try that out when I start playing SAO.

"You'll be sitting in the open seat next to Suguha Kirigaya," Mr. Narita continued. "Miss Kirigaya, please stand up so Miss Asada knows where to sit."

I stood up. My seat was right next to the windows and one from the back, so it was really nice to look out the window when I got lost in thought. It looked right at the high school too, so sometimes I liked to look out the window and see if I could spot Kazuto. Shino nodded and walked over to the empty seat right next to me. Almost everyone in the class was staring at her while she put her bag away.

"Kirigaya, since you sit next to her you're in charge of showing her around during break."

"Okay!"

Mr. Narita coughed. "I'm sure that you're all interested in asking the new student plenty of questions, but please try to wait until break. We do still have classes today."

"Yes sir!"

Once the first break between classes came around, Shino was immediately swarmed by curious students asking all sorts of questions. "Where did you live before this?" "Why did you move?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" "Do you want to join the cheerleading club?" "Hey back off, we saw her first!"

Shino was super cool and calm the whole time people were surrounding her. "I used to live out in the countryside with my mother and grandparents, but I moved here to finish middle school."

"Whoa!" the girls that had asked her all gasped. "That's so cool!"

"Does that mean you live alone?"

"I do," Shino said. "But I receive a small allowance that I use to pay rent on my apartment and buy food."

"So cool... She's like an adult...!"

"Whoa," I gasped. "Oh, that's right! Asada, do you want to take a walk around the school? I can show you the cafeteria and stuff!"

Shino looked at me for a second and then nodded. "Alright," she said.

Huh... She was super quiet and all that, but that was okay! I was going to be super friendly and she was going to be my friend! I could do this! I only had one friend other than Kazuto and those hussies that kept hanging around him, but I could do this!

"...And this is the cafeteria." I turned around and grinned at Shino. "I could show you some of the other places, but we'd run out of time before we have to get to class..."

I trailed off when she just watched me. "That's fine," she said. "Thank you for the tour, Kirigaya."

...Grrr! What does it take to get her to smile or laugh! It's like she's made of ice or something! "You can call me Suguha, by the way! Um, is there anywhere else you wanted to look?"

"No, this is fine, thank you. If I have any questions, I'll ask you." She turned on her heel and started walking away. After a second, she turned to look at me. "What's wrong? We have class, don't we?"

"Ah! Yeah, I'm coming!" Darn it! Because I was busy showing Shino around, I didn't get in my daily Kazuto-searching time!

After break we had gym class. I switched to my gym clothes in the locker rooms (and ignored the usual whispers about 'holy crap what does she eat') and then headed out to the field. Ahh, if only Kazuto were here to see me in my gym uniform! I bet he'd love it! Plus, then I'd get to see _him_ in a gym uniform and it would be the best part of my day!

Shino was standing off by herself, but when I grinned and waved at her she didn't do anything back. That was weird, but before I could walk over and say something to her the gym teacher came out. We were going to be playing dodgeball today, and that was always fun!

We got sorted into our teams, and I was on the same team as Shino. I walked over to her and waved again. "Looks like we're on the same time, Asada," I said.

"Mm." Her eyes were laser-focused on the other team.

...Gaaah, this was so hard! I bet Kazuto didn't have this much trouble making friends. He already had so many girls fawning over him, and I bet they were going to try to get in my way!

That's it! I was going to take out my frustrations on the other team! Get ready, because here I come!

"Take this!" I whipped the ball in my hands directly at the girl across from me. She squealed and twisted away instead of trying to catch it, and paid for it when the ball bounced off her shoulder. Nobody else caught the ball before it hit the ground, so she was out. "Yes!"

Next to me, Shino stared at the other girls. As soon as one wound up and threw a ball, the glasses-wearing girl's hand snapped out. The ball she'd been holding flew out in a direct line and smacked the other ball out of the air perfectly. One of the other girls threw a ball at her, and Shino flowed into motion. She spun around and bent backwards so that the ball passed over her chest, and then reached up and snatched the ball in midair. One hand touched the ground to push herself back up and she spun on her feet, whipping the ball back at the girl that had thrown it, bouncing off of the girl's side.

"Whoa! Shino, you're really good at this!" Her hand-eye coordination was perfect! And those movements were really cool! "Do you want to join the kendo club? We could really use someone as strong as you!"

"No thank you," she said.

Oh come on! She doesn't do anything cool! It's like trying to convince a statue made of ice! I puffed my cheeks out in a pout and absently threw the ball in my hands to knock the last girl on the other team out.

...

I poked at my lunchbox and glared at it. Grrrr... Shino just wouldn't open up at all! Nothing I do seemed to phase her. She'd just stare at me blankly, blink a few times, then reply in a single sentence.

_Tinkle tinkle._ "Hi Suguha!"

The jingling bells heralded the approach of my only other friend in the school, and I smiled up at the girl. "Hi, Keiko."

She was a year younger than me, and cute as a button. The biggest thing that stood out when I saw her were the twintails she always wore her hair in. The bells she used as hairties were the only sign that she lived up at the shrine that Kazuto and I visited every New Years, since they were shrine bells she'd repurposed. It was a little weird, but by this point I was used to her jingling when she walked up.

"Is something wrong?" she asked me. "Usually you're finished with your lunch by the time I sit down."

"Eheheh... I'm not that fast an eater, am I?"

"You are," she nodded.

"W-Well, that's just because I eat a lot for kendo," I protested. "But I'm fine, really. There's just this new girl in my class, and she's really quiet."

Keiko smiled at me. "I've heard people talking about her! Is it true she looks at you like she's trying to kill you with her eyes?"

I stared. "What? No, that's crazy. She's just super intense, that's all."

"Oh..." Keiko took a bite of her food and squealed. "Mmm! Today's cheesecake is delicious too!"

"You really should eat a healthy diet, or you'll never grow up," I told her. She always ate her dessert first.

She pouted at me. "I drink plenty of milk! Besides, not all of us can be as grown up as you..." She muttered that last bit while glaring at me. "Oh by the way! Did you hear about that new idol group? Their first concert was last night, and I was listening to their songs online, and they were amazing!"

"Yeah!" I waved a small piece of chicken around. "You're talking about Yuuna and Nijika, right? They were so beautiful up on that stage! If I wasn't doing my best at kendo, I'd love to be an idol..."

Keiko lunged across the table and clasped my hands in hers. I stared into her sparkling eyes. "You were there?!" she gasped. "How did you get tickets? How?! I wanna go too!"

"N-Next time I can ask Yuuna for extra tickets -"

"You know Yuuna?!" Her shriek actually got other people to turn and stare at us. That finally managed to get Keiko to realize what she was doing; she blushed bright red and sank back into her seat, stuffing a bite of cake into her mouth sheepishly.

I grinned. "I'll make extra sure to get Kazuto to get extra tickets! And he'll definitely do it." That's because my big brother is the best, and he can do anything!

"I still want to meet him..." Keiko sipped at a juice box. "You talk about your big brother so much, and I've never gotten to see him once."

That's because I want to keep all my precious Kazuto time for myself! "Maybe soon, okay?" I said.

Keiko giggled, and then looked over my shoulder in shock. "Ah! Is that her?"

"Is who her?" I twisted in my seat to look for whoever Keiko was staring at. I saw a girl sitting by herself, calmly and methodically eating a lunch she must have packed from home. "Oh, yeah, that's Asada. I wonder why she's by herself?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to go talk to her!"

I turned back to Keiko. "Huh? You are?"

"Well, yeah." Keiko smiled at me as she stood up. "It's lonely not eating with friends, right? I know I was really lonely when I first transferred in until you came to sit with me."

I did remember that...

* * *

_**April 7th, 2025**_

_I walked into the cafeteria. Ahhh, why couldn't Kazuto be here with me?! I already missed eating lunch with him every day! I got so much less time with him now! I only had... waking up in the morning, walking to school together, walking home from school, dinner, and after-dinner pre-bedtime to spend with him! There was a horrible Kazuto-shaped hole in my lunch schedule._

Tinkle tinkle

_The unexpected chime of the bells caught my attention, and I looked around. At a table, a younger girl picked at her lunch; every time she moved her head, the bells tying up her twintails chimed. They looked a lot like the bells Kazuto and I saw when we went up to the nearby shrine every New Years._

_She seemed kinda lonely all by herself, so I walked over. "Uh, hi! Do you mind if I sit here?"_

_"Huh?" The girl looked up. "I, um... Sure? Who are you?"_

_"My name's Suguha Kirigaya. You can call me Suguha, it's fine." I sat down. "It's nice to meet you! ...U-um, can I ask what your name is?"_

_"I-I'm Keiko Ayano," she said. "Nice to meet you too."_

_I smiled at her. "Let's be good friends, okay?"_

_I wasn't quite sure, but that's how it worked, right?_

* * *

I smiled at the memory. "So I'm going to do something about it," Keiko said. As she walked over to Shino's table, I stood up and followed her. She had turned out to be a great friend, always greeting me with a smile. "Hi there!" Keiko chirped at Shino. "I'm Keiko Ayano, and Suguha's my friend. It's nice to meet you!"

Shino looked up at us, and I waved. "Hello," she said. Then, she went back to her lunch.

Keiko blinked and hesitated. A wind blew by us, ruffling her hair. "Um... how are you?" she asked.

"Fine," Shino said.

"O-Oh, that's good..." Keiko giggled weakly, and then looked at me.

D-Don't look at me! I have no idea what to do!

It wasn't like I had some secret magical ability to know what she was thinking or anything like that! ...Though it really would make sneaking up on Kazuto really easy, come to think of it.

Keiko's twintails drooped. She had to have understood what I was thinking from my facial expression, because she turned back to Shino. "I, um... sorry to bother you?"

"It's okay," Shino said.

Even the mighty Keiko had been defeated! Was there any way to get Shino to not be so... so frosty?!

...

"You'll be working in pairs on a presentation for next week. I'll announce the pairs now."

My jaw dropped. M-M-M-Me and... Shino?! We'd be working on the project together!

I turned to look at Shino, but she didn't seem to be affected by the announcement at all. Did she like me? Hate me? I couldn't tell what she was feeling! Grrrr!

"Make sure you pick a subject that'll have enough information to talk for ten minutes," our teacher said. "The rest of class will be independent study so that you and your partner can decide on what you'll be researching."

While the rest of my classmates started talking with their assigned partners, I shifted my desk over to Shino. "What, um, what do you want to do for our project? Did you have any ideas?"

"I haven't thought about it," Shino said. "If you had any ideas, I'm all ears."

I tapped my chin. "Well, is there anything you really like? Like sports, or games, or... anything?"

Shino brought her hand up to her chin in thought. "Hmm... Maybe the best way to save money on day-to-day living expenses?"

Eh? I stared at her in surprise. That sounded... She almost sounded like a housewife on a budget! "M-Maybe? We'll keep that in mind, okay... Do you have any other idea?"

"Not at the moment."

"Um... Oh! I have a lot of old samurai stuff my grandfather says has been passed down the family for generations. Maybe I can dig that out of storage and we can use that as our presentation!"

Shino nodded. "Use those as props for the presentation, and talk about the ancient samurai? It'll work."

I gaped at her, and then turned away and stared out the window. I couldn't tell if she was happy by the idea, upset, or anything! Either way, our project topic didn't have anything to do with Kazuto, so I didn't care about it all that much.

After classes were done for the day, I went down to the kendo club and put on my practice gear. One of my underclassmen had said they wanted to spar, so I could blow off some steam by focusing on this.

When I was out there, it was just me and my opponent. I stared at the face mask across from me and gripped my shinai in my hands. I focused on them and let out a slow breath as I studied them. It could be anything, but I knew that they'd give me a sign just before they attacked. Maybe it would be a twitch of their shoulder, or they would shuffle their feet, or -

I didn't know what the sign was, but I was already moving when they let out a shout and swung at me. I brought my sword up to block and then lightly smacked the top of their head.

"Ow!"

"Ahh! I'm sorry, did I hit you too hard?"

"N-No, I'm fine, that was just surprising, that's all..."

...

Once I finally got home, I collapsed onto the couch with a huge sigh. It had been such a long day!

And to make things even worse, I had to walk all the way home without Kazuto with me! All because he had stupid cleaning duties. He'd be home in just a few minutes - I could always tell where my big brother was! I had an innate big brother sensor! - so I got up and went upstairs to get changed.

I heard the front door open and close while I was pulling a cute cat shirt over my head, and immediately my smile was as wide as it could ever be. Kazuto was home! The day just got ten... no, a hundred. A thousand times better! When I went back downstairs to join Kazuto, I'd made sure to stop smiling so much. I couldn't let Kazuto figure out how I really felt about him, especially since I'd been hiding it all this time. But I'd kept the secret this long, I'd keep loving him secretly!

Kazuto hadn't even bothered getting changed. He must have just sat down right away. "Ugh," I said as I collapsed on the couch next to him. "Today was _exhausting_."

With that said (so I had an excuse) I happily cuddled up against my big brother. The two of us sat together, leaning against each other silently.

Mmm... I still have homework, but I don't wanna move...

I almost couldn't believe I was sitting there next to my amazing big brother and not doing anything, and it honestly felt relaxing after today!

Kazuto stood up and stretched, and a squeak slipped out of me when I fell over now that he wasn't holding me up. After a second of thought, I decided that this was fine too (Ahhhh! I had my head where Kazuto was sitting! I could still feel the warmth...) and didn't move from where I'd slumped across the couch.

My big brother turned back to me and asked if I had homework, like he didn't know already. Somehow he already knew! While I was doing that, he'd start on dinner.

"Do I have to...?" I asked. When he nodded, I sighed and slowly pushed myself up. "Okay..."

I can't wait to eat Kazuto's cooking! I bet it'll be delicious...

* * *

Okay! I could do this! All I had to do was go in there and befriend Shino. I took a deep breath and clapped my hands against my cheeks to psyche myself up. I'd had Kazuto's cooking for dinner yesterday and this morning's breakfast, so I was all fueled up for today!

"Suguha, what are you doing?" Keiko asked. She peered at me curiously from right behind me. "How come you stopped in front of your classroom?"

I blushed. "N-No reason! I'm just getting ready, that's all."

"O...kay?" She tilted her head. "Well, I have to get to my class, so see you at lunch!"

"Bye!"

I turned back to the door after waving goodbye. I wasn't going to let Shino beat me again today! When I slid the door open, the room was mostly empty aside from a few people who got in early just to nap - and, surprisingly, Shino! She was sitting at her desk, flipping through a magazine.

"Hi, Asada! What are you reading?"

She looked up at me, and then at the magazine. It looked like the page she was staring at had... a knife? It looked really pretty, with a white handle. "Nothing important," she said.

I frowned when she went back to reading her magazine. That was it? Nothing important?! Gaaaaah! "Oh, by the way, I forgot to look for the samurai stuff last night," I said. "I got home late from club practice, sorry..."

"It's fine." Shino didn't even look up from her magazine. "We have a week, after all."

I sat down at my desk. What did I have to do to get her to open up to me? I wanted to be her friend! At this point, it wasn't even about Kazuto (even though obviously it'd be great if he patted me on the head, Kazuto's headpats were the best thing ever!), it was because I didn't want to lose to Shino's cold armor!

"So, do you want to come over to my house after school? I don't have club today so I can leave right away," I said.

"Fine," she said. Just fine! Nothing more than that.

I almost wanted to scream. Why was this so haaaaard?! Kendo was way easier than trying to make friends. I stared out the window in the general direction of Kazuto and sighed.

The rest of the morning went exactly like it normally did, and finally it was time for lunch. I grabbed my lunch from my bag and walked down to the cafeteria. Keiko had already made it through the line, so she was happily munching on a riceball when I sat down across from her. I looked around, and sure enough Shino was sitting all by herself again. It looked so lonely, but if we went over, she'd probably just politely ask us to leave her alone...

"Hi, Suguha. Was Asada any nicer today?"

"No," I sighed. "It's really frustrating. But I think I'm making progress! We're working together on a school presentation, so I asked her to come over so we could work on it after school."

"Ah! You're taking Asada to your house?" Keiko asked.

I nodded. "Uh huh. I bet when she sees my room, she'll finally be my friend." I raised my fists up to my chest and bounced. "Oh! Do you want to come to?"

"Eh? Me?"

"Uh huh! You haven't ever been to my house, come to think of it," I said. "Yeah, you should definitely come over too!"

Keiko giggled. "If I do, then... I'll get to..." She trailed off and blushed slightly. I watched her and frowned. Why did it feel like I needed to be careful?

...For that matter, why do I feel like Kazuto is praising another girl instead of me?

That can't stand! Kazuto's praises should be mine and mine alone!

Unfortunately, I couldn't run over and confront whoever was trying to steal my big brother away (no matter how much I wanted to, it'd look really weird since nobody knew how I felt; plus, I still had school) and I had to go back to class after I finished eating. I was able to focus on taking notes for the rest of the day, and before I knew it the final bell run and it was time to go home.

I ran outside. Kazuto would be here today! I couldn't wait to see him! I was so excited that I actually made it to the front gate before Kazuto showed up.

Hmph! I bet he's wasting time playing around with Asuna. It's not fair that she gets to spend so much time with him...

I kicked at a pebble on the ground and wished that I could swing my shinai around without the other students looking at me like I was weird. When my Kazuto senses finally tingled, I looked up to see my big brother walking up to me.

Hooray! Kazuto's here! It feels like forever since I've seen his face! "Hi Kazuto," I said.

After he asked if I was ready to go, I scratched my cheek. "Actually, we can't yet. I have to go bring some classmates to our house. We have a project we need to work on together."

Once he'd shrugged, I nodded and headed back inside. The first girl I ran into was Keiko, since I knew where she was. As always, she was cleaning up her classroom. "Don't you get tired of sweeping every day?" I asked her.

"Not really. It's easier than sweeping up at home," she said.

"Huh... Kazuto's here to walk me home, so let's go!"

"Kazuto's here?" Her eyes sparkled. "I thought we were going to walk home by ourselves!"

"Nope! My big brother's the best, so he always walks me home when he can!"

Keiko sighed. "You're so lucky..." I really, really was!

Keiko put away the broom and we headed up to my classroom. I opened the door to see Shino sitting at her desk, reading again. "Asada, did you still want to come over? It's fine if you wanted to do this some other day."

"Now is fine," she said. She stood up and slipped the magazine into her bag. "Though I won't stay long. There's a sale at the market today."

"O-Oh, okay... I hope you don't mind if Keiko comes too?"

"Hi," Keiko waved.

Shino shook her head silently. We walked back down the hall towards the front of the school; Keiko and I walked together, talking and giggling about our day, while Shino followed us a few steps behind. We'd tried to stop and let her catch up once or twice, but every time she'd just lag behind again. I was going to figure this girl out sooner or later!

"Kazuto, I'm back!" I called out when we got to the gate. He looked up and put his phone back in his pocket. I bet he was looking at SAO news again! Or maybe his mecha... messa... melloponics? Whatever it was called.

"It's nice to meet you, Suguha's big brother!" Keiko said. She smiled, and the bells in her hair chimed. "She's talked about you a lot!"

"Uwaaah! Keiko, don't say things like that!" I exclaimed and waved my hands. My cheeks felt hot.

Seriously, if Kazuto heard about how much I talked about him, he'd think I was weird or something!

After he asked who she was, Keiko shook her head and made the bells chime again. "Ah! I'm sorry! That was so rude. I'm Keiko Ayano. Your sister is one year older than me, and is my good friend!"

I coughed. I can't let her keep staring at Kazuto! I had to change the topic. "Don't be weird to her, Kazuto. And... where's..."

"I'm right here," Shino said. She approached us. Weirdly, as soon as she saw Kazuto she stopped and stared at him for a long time. Then, suddenly, her eyes lit up. It was the most expression I'd seen on her face yet! "Master!"

"...WHAT?!" Keiko and I yelped.

M-M-Master?! What did that mean? Who was she to Kazuto?!

"Kazuto, what is she talking about!?" I exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Shino.

"I'm so glad I get to see you again!" Shino continued.

"Again!?"

When my big brother denied that he was her master at all, I glared at him. "P-Please, stop fighting," Keiko said.

I kept up my glare at Kazuto for another few seconds, but eventually I sighed. "Okay... If our school's shrine maiden mascot says so..."

Keiko puffed her cheeks out. "Geez, don't call me that! It's not like I wanted everyone to start saying those things!"

"And you!" I whirled on Shino. "I need answers as soon as we get home!"

...

We sat down in my room. It was a perfectly normal room, with no clues to my super huge love for Kazuto hidden anywhere. And if anyone asked about that penguin plushie he won for me at the summer festival back when we were kids, I could just tell them that I loved penguins! And cuddling them when I went to bed! (They didn't need to know that I named it Kazuto and practiced my kissing with it!)

Keiko and I sat on the floor next to my bed. Shino sat across from us and looked back and forth between the two of us. "S-So, Suguha, your room is -" Keiko began.

"What's between you and my big brother?" I demanded. "How come you're calling him Master when I know he's never talked about you before?"

"Because he's my master," Shino said. She tilted her head. "I'd thought your last name sounded familiar, but I hadn't realized you were his little sister!" She blinked and stared at me, squinting for a second, then shook her head and looked away. Weird.

I frowned. "B-But, that doesn't make any sense! What was he teaching you?"

"How to control my powers!" Shino smiled. "Well, I say 'teaching', but really all he did was give me my glasses and some advice."

"...What." W-Was this girl delusional? I knew that Sachi girl Kazuto played with in ALO was like that, but I didn't expect to see one here in front of me!

Keiko tilted her head. "Your powers? What kind of powers?" No, Keiko, don't believe what she's saying!

"I... see things." For the first time since she'd seen my big brother, Shino's expression relaxed back into the chilly, calm look. "He said... But he's your big brother, so I think it's fine. See for yourself." She closed her eyes and took off her glasses. Then she opened them and stared at the two of us, and -

My eyes widened. Her eyes weren't black anymore. Instead, a ring of electric blue had bloomed in her iris, spreading out until it covered her entire pupil. Little wisps of the violet color at the edge seemed to drift into her pupil, disappearing into the blackness. "Whoa..."

"Pretty..." Keiko mumbled.

Shino jumped. "P-Pretty?"

"Huh? Yeah," Keiko said. "That blue color is really beautiful! Right, Suguha?"

"Mm-hmm! It looks really nice." I grinned at Shino. She looked back and forth between us like she had no idea what we were saying. "But... you said you saw _things_, right? What do you mean? Does it have something to do with that glowy thing your eyes are doing?"

Shino exhaled through her nose slowly. "...I see cracks. Lines and dots, mostly. They're over everything I can see when I'm looking."

"Wow, that's cool," I said.

"Cool isn't really the word I'd use... Thankfully, the glass in my glasses has a special property," she said. "It hides the lines unless I force myself to look for them."

"Why would you want to hide them?" Keiko asked.

Shino shifted and rubbed at her right hand. "I just... It's probably easier if I show you. Kirigaya, do you have a piece of paper? Or anything else you don't mind throwing away."

I jumped up and started rummaging through my desk. "I usually have a few extra pieces of paper for homework..." I shoved the pictures of Kazuto I had stashed in my desk further in. I didn't want them to see those! "Here's one!"

"Thank you," Shino said. "Can you cut this?"

Keiko and I looked at each other. "With scissors," I said. "Why? Do you need me to?"

Shino shook her head. "No. But watch." She took the piece of paper and stared at it. Then, deliberately, she drew her finger across it almost at random. It was really weird, but it looked like her fingernail sank _into_ the paper as she traced a line across it at an angle. Nothing happened, until the instant she finished drawing the line with her finger from one side to the other.

I stared in shock as the paper split right down the line Shino had traced with her finger. Keiko picked the two pieces up. "She cut it," she said in awe.

Shino nodded. "If I trace the line, or poke at the dot, whatever I cut dies."

I shivered. "So you... killed the paper?"

"Yes." The simple answer was almost a little scary. ...But it was Shino, so I wasn't afraid! I could tell she wasn't the type of person to do something like that. I just _knew_, somehow.

Keiko smiled. "It's a little scary... but I'm glad Asada could trust us with this. Aren't you, Suguha?"

"Yeah!" Then I frowned and leaned forward. "But you haven't explained how you met my brother!"

"Right, that." Shino ran a hand through her hair and sighed again. "It's... a long story, but I was in the hospital several years back because of an eye injury."

"Oh no!" Keiko gasped. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Shino said with a gentle smile. "But that was also when my powers awakened, so I was really upset and confused."

I nodded. "Makes sense... I know I'd be really freaked out if that happened back when I was in the hospital!"

"You were in the hospital too, Suguha?" Keiko asked.

"Mm-hmm. A few years ago I was on a family vacation and I slipped into a pond." It had been really, really scary. But Kazuto had jumped in to save me! And that was the first of my hundred and eight reasons I loved my big brother so, so, so much. "I was saved really soon, but they still wanted me to go to the hospital to get checked out. I was only in there for a few hours, so it's not a big deal."

"I was there for more than a few hours," Shino said. "It didn't help that I started seeing the lines that none of my doctors or nurses could see. They thought I was going crazy, or that I had vision problems. Then... one day a boy wandered into my room." That had to be my big brother! "He listened to me, and didn't call me crazy, and then said he could help. That's when he gave me these glasses. As soon as I put them on, the lines disappeared."

Keiko tilted her head. "But where would your brother gotten something like that?"

I had no idea. But he was my big brother, so of course he would be able to save the day! "I don't know," I said, and folded my arms under my chest. Both of the other girls sighed, for some reason. "But I'm glad he did! That sounded like it was really rough, Asada."

"Eh?" Shino blinked.

"Seeing those things... I'm glad Kazuto was able to help you out!" I grinned at her.

Shino smiled. "You're kinda strange, Kirigaya."

"Hey!"

Keiko giggled. "But she's right."

"Hey!" Keiko couldn't betray me too! I balled up my fists and shook them up and down, bouncing in place. "Keiko, don't be mean!"

Shino brought her hand up to her mouth, and her eyes narrowed in thought. "Kirigaya... Kazuto...? ...Oh!" Her eyes widened and she looked at the door. "So he's..." She snickered.

"No way!"

"Did you just laugh?"

Keiko and I gasped and asked the question respectively, and Shino looked at us. "Oh, that was... Never mind, I just realized something funny about my partner in GGO."

"Partner?" I tilted my head. I knew Kazuto played that game, but I'd never felt the urge because you couldn't fly in that game. I just knew I was missing out on seeing him at his coolest! "Huh?"

"Oh, it's nothing. She's -" Shino coughed. "He's the reason I try to hide my ability as much as possible."

"Is that why you were super mean?" Keiko asked.

Shino ducked her head. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "But one of the things he told me was, 'Keep your powers secret'. If people knew, he told me, then the government would ask uncomfortable questions and things like that."

Keiko gasped. "Wait, he knew?"

"Yes, I told him after a little while," she replied. "In GGO, there's something called a Bullet Line. It looks like a red line that shows the exact path the bullet will take." A smile crossed her lips as she pointed a finger at Keiko. "He wondered how I was such a good sniper."

"Your partner figured it out just from that?" Keiko asked.

Shino sighed and shook her head. "Sometimes I think he could read my mind," she said. Keiko and I giggled. "However it happened, he figured out my secret. So I told him the truth. It wasn't like I could lie when sh- he gave me those cute pleading eyes."

"I'm glad you told us the truth too, Asada," I said.

She smiled. "You can call me Shino. If you know about my eyes, then I don't mind if you call me by my first name."

"Okay! Then you can call me Suguha."

"And please call me Keiko," Keiko added.

Shino smiled at the two of us. "Of course."

I stood up. "Okay! Now that the important things are out of the way -"

"Important?" Shino whispered to Keiko.

"Suguha's priorities are kinda weird," she whispered back.

"- Let's get to work on that school project!" I opened the door -

...And nearly walked straight into Kazuto, who had his hand raised to knock on my door. "Eep!" I squeaked. How had my Kazuto senses failed me?! Th-This was so embarrassing! "Kazuto?"

He raised an eyebrow at me and offered the tray of snacks and tea that he'd brought up for everyone. I'd totally forgotten about that in my rush to make sure there was nothing special between him and Shino!

Well, at least I could be happy! Shino was really nice even if she wasn't as energetic as Keiko. That meant... That meant I'd made my second friend!

Maybe Kazuto would pat my head later, too! Then this would be the best day ever!

* * *

**August 23rd, 2025**

Shopping with Kazuto~! Shopping with Kazuto~! Today was the best day ever!

Mom had finally given me my allowance this morning, so I was going shopping for SAO with Kazuto after my morning kendo practice! I'd saved and saved and saved, and now I could finally play the game Kazuto was playing almost every night. Sure, Yuuna knew the developer of the game and she'd said she could have gotten me a copy, but I'd refused. I didn't want to rely on a love rival, after all!

The store was getting closer with every step, but it was still sooooo far. I almost broke into a run, but remembered at the last second that if I ran, I wouldn't get to walk with Kazuto for as long. It was such a dilemma, being forced to pick between SAO faster and being with Kazuto longer.

Grrrrr! Why couldn't things be simple? I hadn't even gone home to drop off my shinai first, I'd made Kazuto come to my dojo and pick me up so we could get it right away!

While we were walking to the game store, I noticed that a few people were starting to follow us. I snuck peeks over my shoulder from time to time to see that a couple guys were laughing and talking to each other while they stared at us. One elbowed another in the side and gestured at me, and our eyes met for an instant. I shivered when he sneered at me and turned back to face forward.

Kazuto didn't resist when I slipped my hand into his, so I bet he knew they were following us too. As expected of my big brother!

"Hey, hey, what do we have here?" An older boy stepped forward from the wall where he'd been leaning. "A couple of kids out together?"

He grinned at us as a few other boys flanked him. One of them had a metal bat he rested on his shoulder. Behind us, the guys that Kazuto and I had noticed were following us laughed pretty loudly as they blocked the rest of the street.

"Kazuto..." I whispered. He just gently squeezed my hand, and like always it gave me such a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

As if no matter what, I could always depend on my big brother.

Because he was the strongest big brother in the world!

* * *

**A rare chapter from Sugu's perspective. She's going to be taking the lead most of the time when the story is focused on the middle school squad, so hopefully you enjoyed! (also oh no they're in trouble oh no)**

**This chapter was fun because I got to go ham with Sugu's thoughts. We get snippets of it from Kazuto's telepathy, but this is the first time we've seen all of it! She's… constantly thinking about him… Oh well, she's good at hiding it from everyone else.**

**As for the main heroine introduced this chapter, Shino is cute! Hopefully you guys like her (once we learn why she's being so standoffish and shy, at least). Her ability is in her eyes and it may seem familiar to some of you. For those in the audience that aren't aware: It's the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, although Shino's abilities are only based off of them and aren't directly lifted from Tsukihime or Kara No Kyoukai.**

**(no this isn't because I'm not sure I wrote everything correctly and claiming that it's only based off of them is a convenient way to make an excuse shush)**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed!**


	11. Girls Are Scary

**Chapter 11: Girls Are Scary; or, A Slightly Different Flavor of Romance Idiot**

* * *

**October 3rd, 2020**

_Oh, I guess we're starting with a flashback this time. Great._

I sneezed and rubbed my arms. The hospital gown was really cold, but Mom wasn't back with my change of clothes yet. Hopefully she'd be back by the time they finished checking out Sugu to make sure she wasn't going to get sick from falling into the water. Mom said she'd be right back, and when I checked with my telepathy she was still thinking, _'I'm so glad Sugu and Kazuto weren't hurt...'_ Her thoughts were back at our hotel room so she was still getting new clothes for me and my little sister.

With a heavy sigh I swung my legs back and forth on the uncomfortable chair in the hospital waiting area. Bored. Bored, bored, bored. The only thing that kept me entertained was the thoughts of the people around me. The thought suddenly occurred to me: 'I wonder how my sister is doing?' Naturally, I focused and started sifting through the thoughts.

_'That boy got hit by a car... but his eyes look all fish-like and gross.'_

_'I hate these stupid lines...'_

_'This is dumb. Kazuto already saved me! He's the best ever! I don't even feel sick, so why can't I go home already! Uwaaah, I wish Kazuto were here to sit with me. Then I could talk to him and forget all about these dumb doctors.'_

Ah! There were Sugu's thoughts - though it was a little weird how she was thinking about me. Normally she just thinks about regular Sugu-like things like her homework, kendo, or what's for dinner. Wishing I was there? That was really strange.

Well, I knew it was probably just a phase because I'd managed to pull her out of that pond with my psychic powers-enhanced strength. I was pretty sure she had no clue, so I hadn't broken my word to Mr. Kayaba yet.

_'Why do I break everything? Why won't these lines go away?'_ The plaintive thought floated through my head again. For some reason, I listened to the girl's thoughts. _'If only there was some way I could stop seeing these lines, then I could go home and be with my mom and grandpa again.'_

I swung my legs back and forth, and then decided. It was okay if I helped someone out, right? Even if the girl wondered who I was, it wasn't like I'd ever see her again. Plus, I could probably help her without showing off my psychic powers!

It only took a little bit of thought to create something that could help. She was complaining about seeing things, right? Then that meant she needed glasses! That was how it always worked in my RPGs. I didn't know what she meant by 'lines', but glasses solve eye problems so they'll definitely help.

A quick trip to the bathroom, a teleport back home, and a search through Sugu's old Halloween costumes later and I clutched a pair of half-rimmed black glasses in my hands. It didn't take long to track down the room the girl's thoughts were coming from. 'Shino Asada'... That was a pretty name. When I walked into the room, I stared at the girl on the bed. She had to be about Sugu's age, with black hair. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and her face buried in them.

Um, hello?

She didn't even jump. "Hello," she mumbled.

...Do you want these? They should help.

This time she looked up at me, her black eyes curious. "With what?"

Whatever the 'lines' are?

I scratched my cheek. Her thoughts hadn't told me very much about them. Still, my words had an impact. The girl gasped. _'How does he know about them?!'_ I watched as a brilliant blue bloomed in her eyes - before she tore her eyes away and stared at her knees. "Just... go away. Being here makes it worse..."

She hunched over, but I didn't leave. I could hear how much she wanted the lines to go away. So, I crawled up onto the hospital bed (and ignored her surprised gasp) and placed the glasses on her face when she looked up at me.

There! Now you should be okay.

Shino glared at me. "Shut up! Just go... away... the lines? They're gone!"

Yep! Glasses help.

"Thank you!" Before I could react, Shino had wrapped her arms around me. Our cheeks touched. _'I don't know how he knew, but... I bet he's some super powerful Master of magic or something like that!'_ "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Eheheh... You're welcome? Can you stop hugging me now?

"Huh?" Shino blinked and then let go. "Eep! I'm very sorry, Master!" Master? Well, if it made her happy, then she could call me that. It was better than her asking my name, after all.

I'm glad I could help. Bye bye!

"Wait!" Before she could get the words out, I was already out the door of her hospital room. _'Master... I'll never forget your face!'_

It was a little weird that she was so excited about a perfectly normal pair of glasses, but I didn't think about it. The doctor coming back with Sugu in tow distracted me a lot.

* * *

_She stared up at the man, her voice coming in quick, short breaths. He waved around a knife and shouted for the bank tellers to hurry up and shove the money in the bank._

_Her mom had been sitting by the door, and so she was the first one he'd grabbed before he started shouting. He pressed the knife against her, threatening to make a point if he didn't get his money._

_She had to protect her mother. So she ran up and shoved the crazy man as hard as she could, right in the back._

_Maybe he was drunk. Maybe he was just off-balance. Maybe she was really lucky. Whatever the case was, he fell forward and let her mother go._

_He shouted in pain and anger and got to his feet. She shrunk back against the wall as he pulled the knife from his arm where he'd stabbed himself. When he waved the knife around -_

_Red. Warm, sticky, and blinding. She didn't know what happened next, but the doctors told her that he'd splashed his blood directly into her open eyes. They said she was incredibly lucky that there had been no injuries at all._

_They didn't know about the lines._

_..._

_Sugu screamed in fear as a guy reached for her -_

**August 23rd, 2025**

I jolted awake. Immediately, my mind reached for Sugu's thoughts. _'Hmm~ I wish Kazuto would join me in the shower once or twice~'_

Aaaand that's more than enough of _that_. But she was safe. I took a few deep breaths and did my best to calm down.

I, Kazuto Kirigaya, am **the most powerful psychic in the world**. But, I hate my powers. Why, you ask? Even if you didn't ask, I'll tell you anyway. They suck. They're awful. My telepathy is always on and constantly reading everyone's thoughts. If I touch anyone's bare skin with my own, I'll see a flashback of their recent memories (the more powerful, the more likely I'd see it). And the one that was most relevant right now, one that's out of my control entirely.

That one, naturally, is precognition. Sure, it _sounds_ great to be able to see the future, but in practical terms? Useless! Like every other power I have. Since I couldn't control when I'd have a precog dream, I couldn't use it to predict anything like 'Asuna will get ambushed by delinquents and when I rescue her she'll become obsessed with me' or 'Yuuna will knock on my front door and jump right back into my life'. Instead, I get these brief flashes that don't do anything but get me worried. Sure, I get to see the future, but only five seconds of it; and I only know what I saw in the dream. If there wasn't any clue to the time or place, the only guarantee I had was that my vision was guaranteed to come true that day.

Like the one about Sugu...

I shook my head. No, it was fine. She was fine. The first half of that dream had been memories I'd seen in the past. But... just to be on the safe side, I was going to pay extra attention to her thoughts the whole day.

Almost immediately, I regretted my decision when I heard her next thoughts. _'I bet I can catch him today! I'm gonna wait out in the hallway until he comes out of his room! I'm gonna make him look at me in a towel today! And then he'll be so captivated by me he won't be able to resist~! Kyaaaa, I love Kazuto the most!'_ Go get dressed, or we'll be late!

Fortunately, if Sugu was upstairs camping the hallway, it was easy for me to just teleport downstairs after I was dressed in my school uniform. Once breakfast was ready and I could hear Sugu's stomach grumbling from the kitchen, I walked to the base of the stairs.

Sugu, hurry up, it's breakfast.

_'Whaaaat?! How did he escape?! Darn it!'_ "Give me a second, I'm almost ready!"

If you don't hurry, I'll leave without you!

_'Nooooooo!'_ "Whatever," she called out, just before the door to her room slammed shut. _'I can't miss this time with him! I'll be missing out on precious time with Kazuto!'_

It really was so easy to get my little sister to do what I wanted.

...

Of course, she probably thought the same thing about me, because naturally she chose today to ask me to go shopping with her. And, for some reason that I blame the author for, I said yes.

_'That's the guy... and holy shit, that girl next to him is _stacked_.'_

Well, it looked like trouble was coming for me. A group of thugs were following us and had been for a little bit. I'd noticed them a while back thanks to their thoughts about my sister, but it looked like they were searching for me in particular. I wasn't sure why; I didn't recognize any of them.

_'A little bit of Monica in my life, a little bit of Erica by my side~'_

Oh. That was probably why, come to think of it.

The guys behind us weren't exactly masters of the Stealth skill, and it didn't take long for Sugu to notice them. She slipped her hand in mine for safety, and I didn't pull away. I'd kept my mental eye on her the entire time she was at kendo practice, and she'd called me as soon as she'd finished. My dream hadn't come true yet, so that meant it had to happen sooner or later...

"Hey, hey, what do we have here?" An older boy stepped forward from the wall where he'd been leaning. Ugh, so cliché. The author is really pulling out _all_ the stops for this one. "A couple of kids out together?"

One of the guys flanking him had a metal bat that he rested on his shoulder. The trash mobs behind us blocked the way back and laughed loudly. "Kazuto..." Sugu whispered. I just squeezed her hand gently. She may be a brocon, but I wasn't going to let anything happen to her.

"Remember me?" the guy sneered. "I remember you. You're that guy that broke my arm!"

Sugu glared at him. "What do you want with my brother?"

"Nothing, nothing," he said with a nasty chuckle. "Just a friendly chat, that's all. Why don't you be a good girl and go wait over there while I talk with him?" He cracked his knuckles.

My little sister stepped to the side. To anyone else, it would look like she was following the delinquent's suggestion. Since I could read her mind, I knew it was anything but. _'If he touches my big brother, I'll break his arm!'_

"Yo, if you're gonna beat him up, can I spend some quality time with his girlfriend?" one of his thugs snickered. The lead guy waved absently as he stepped up to me. "Suh-weet. Hey sweetheart, over here."

He reached for her, and Sugu screamed. "Get away from me!"

Oh. It's my dream.

I watched with a deadpan expression on my face as Sugu unsheathed her shinai in a fluid motion and smashed it over his head. "Ah! I'm very sorry," she said to his unconscious body. "I shouldn't hit people in the head."

With these guys it's fine, Sugu.

"Really?" She perked up. "Oh, okay." _'Hooray! Kazuto won't be mad at me for that!'_

"Holy shit she's insane," lead thug yelped. "What _is_ she?"

My little sister. But you're right about the insane part.

Still, I did want to get to the store before they closed, so as fun as that whole event had been I needed to wrap things up. I reached out and tapped the guy with the metal bat on the shoulder, then took the bat. After I bent it in half, I handed it back to him. He stared at me, then at the crooked bat. "…Aw, fuck."

It only took a single hit each time to knock the thugs out. Honestly, I liked it that way. Who cared if I beat every opponent in one hit? I liked it boring. _'Wow!'_ Sugu gushed in her thoughts. _'My big brother is the beeeest! I knew he was the strongest ever!'_

Once all of the thugs were groaning and piled up in the convenient nearby alley, I dusted my hands off. Then I turned around. The wave of mooks had been cleared, so naturally the boss was going to arrive. Two men were walking through the crowd that parted for them, like they were giving off some sort of badass vibe. One was wearing a really tacky suit with a wine-colored shirt, the collar popped and the top button undone. It looked like he'd bought it in the 80s and never replaced it... Even though he looked like he was older, his shoulders were broad. The other one next to him had an eyepatch over his right eye, and a snake-skin suit that somehow managed to be just as tacky as the first guy's outfit.

Seriously, was I fated to run into people with cursed right eyes or something?!

"Oh crap... The boss..." Metal Bat Thug groaned before he fell unconscious entirely.

We should probably go, Sugu.

"Y-Yeah," she muttered, clinging onto my arm. I didn't shake her off as we passed by the two men. They gave off an aura of danger.

_'That uniform... I'll remember his face.'_

I didn't stiffen as I passed them but that was only because of my psychic control over my body. There was a girl standing just behind them, hidden. When Sugu and I had walked past them, she'd stared at me and thought those words. The short-haired girl stared at me for a little bit longer, then turned back to the guys we'd knocked out. "And what do you think you're doing?" she asked, her tone disappointed.

...This is going to be trouble. I just know it. And there's absolutely nothing I can do about it, either!

What? Are you saying that not every girl I run into is going to be part of my troubles? …You're joking, right? You can't be serious. You've been reading this story all along, so how could you say something like that?!

* * *

I yawned as I walked to my classroom. I'd been up late playing SAO, and it had been pretty exhausting; not that anything special had happened outside of my usual experience with the game. Kizmel and Strea wanted to cuddle all day, Yui kept talking about how she'd done more research and could help me out with my friends even better, Asuna turned out to be terrified of ghosts... Basically... I was tired.

"Good morning, Kazuto," Nijika said. "Did you sleep well?"

Morning, Nijika.

The maid idol girl was far, far too cheerful for this early in the morning. Still, her humming was soothing to listen to, so I folded my arms on my desk and rested my head. I could just rest my eyes a bit, right?

_*Slam!*_

The author has a sick sense of timing. I knew that it had to have been on purpose, right after I decided to relax.

All of the conversation in the classroom stopped as everyone turned to look at the girl that had just slammed the door open. The blonde girl didn't say a word, she just looked around before walking into the room. _'Hey, isn't she that girl that wasn't here?' 'I heard she was in the hospital because she was in a fight!' 'No, she put a bunch of people in the hospital!' 'I've heard that my friend's brother saw her running around with a gang!'_

I buried my face in my arms and tried to pretend that I'd never gotten out of my bed this morning.

Of course the girl that just walked in wearing our school uniform was the girl that I'd seen yesterday with the two big guys! Did she follow me here?

When she took the empty seat right next to me, in the Protagonist seat, I groaned. I wasn't even surprised that she was such an obvious important character in the story. After the introduction she had, she had to be someone important.

She stared at me and then nodded once. _'I knew it. That's the guy that beat up my boys. Hmph... I'll have to take care of him, then.'_ Oh come on! Why can't a nice, sweet girl ever be interested in me? Well, Asuna fit that bill, though.

After that ominous thought, the girl leaned back in her chair and folded her arms. Her entrance already had people whispering about her, but nobody seemed to have the courage to go up and talk to the surly delinquent. "She's scary..." "I don't want to look at her in case she gets mad..." "I feel sorry for that guy sitting next to her..." "I don't, he's the one that's always with our Princesses!" "I'll bring flowers to his hospital room" Hey! Don't just write me out of the story on your own!

Ms. Ryoko walked in and started class like usual. And as expected, the first thing she did after we greeted her was say, "We have a new student joining our class today. Miss Takemiya, would you introduce yourself?"

I was pretty sure every student in the class swallowed nervously and stared forward when Takemiya stood up. Her chair screeched a little bit. "...Kotone Takemiya," she said.

After a second Ms. Ryoko asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to add?"

"Not really." Takemiya sank back into her seat.

"...Alright," Ms. Ryoko said. "In that case, the rest of homeroom..."

I looked at Takemiya out of the corner of my eye. Her introduction had been so quick and sharp that nobody knew how to react, so everyone was listening to the teacher. I wasn't sure why she'd refused to say anything, really. She was cute enough, with dandelion-colored hair and blue eyes that -

...That were glaring straight at me. Takemiya had turned her head while I was staring at her, and met my eyes squarely. Her eyes were narrowed. _'This guy... Staring at me like that...'_

Oh crap! I tore my eyes away and stared up at the front, and made sure I wasn't listening to her thoughts anymore. I didn't want her to think I was staring or anything like that! In fact, I didn't want anything to do with her at all!

_'Ah! That's not fair!'_ Nijika thought. _'She just showed up, and already they're staring soulfully into each other's eyes... I bet he'll ask her to eat lunch with him and he'll be super gallant! Why couldn't that be meeeee?'_

Nijika stop, you're making things up again. At least she wasn't playing SAO with us. If she knew about the AI girls that I spent almost all of my gaming time with, then her fantasies would be totally out of control!

...

The class just before the end of the day was Home Ec, and since we were all sitting together I ended up in a group of three with Nijika and Takemiya. "Okay!" Nijika clapped her hands. "We're making curry. I've never made it before, so this will be fun!"

_'Kazuto nodded and smiled gently at her. "I can't wait to taste your delicious food," he said. "I'd love to eat it every night when I get home."_

_Nijika blushed fiercely. "W-Well... Maybe I could make lunches for us..."_

_"I'd love that," he said. "Just like I love you."'_

No! Nijika, you stop that right now! I don't sound or act anything like that! This girl, honestly...

"Anyway," Nijika coughed. The little blush on her cheeks gave away how she really felt. "Kazuto, Takemiya, are you any good at cooking?"

I make breakfast and dinner from time to time, swapping off with my sister.

"Hmph." Takemiya reached over and picked up the kitchen knife. "I'm really good with a knife. Just watch me."

Why was she staring directly at me when she said that?! That was a threat! A direct threat, because I beat up some of her underlings and now she wants revenge! I shivered. Why can't my life ever be simple? I'd even take a hundred Strea Hug over having a gang boss mad at me!

_'...Oooh, I feel like Kirito thought something really fun!'_

_'Strea looks happy! Maybe she can convince Papa to give her a Norito tonight!'_

_'Perhaps Kirito will be interested in joining me in the bath the next time I see him... As well as the other girls. Maybe I can convince him to engage in what Lisbeth termed, "skinship" with me.'_

How can I hear their thoughts?! They're all NPCs in SAO, how the heck...?

Despite my confusion, there wasn't much I could do about the NPC girls' scheming. Instead, I had to deal with keeping myself safe from Takemiya! She stared at the blade, turning it in the light so that it gleamed. I bet she was trying to figure out if she could kill me! _'Hmm, it's not very sharp... I bet it won't cut well.'_ I knew it!

As soon as we had our ingredients I set to work chopping up the meat and veggies. If I was busy working, then Takemiya couldn't do anything, right? It'd look really bad if there was blood in our curry! For whatever reason, Takemiya started doing the same thing... but directly across from me, so that I had no choice but to watch as she handled the knife with expertise, slicing up the ingredients with an intense look on her face. She's intimidating me... No! I can't let her get to me. I have to focus.

"Wow!" Nijika gasped. "You're really good at this, Kazuto! Your little sister is so lucky."

Yeah, cooking like this is pretty simple. ...Hang on, I don't remember if I ever told her I had a _little_ sister. Has she been stalking me again? Or did I just not remember mentioning it? With Nijika, I could never be sure.

"Lucky, yeah," Takemiya said. "She's lucky you come home to her every day."

Kyaa! She was threatening my sister's happiness now!

...

Somehow the curry had turned out alright, but I didn't care about that. As soon as the bell rang, I hurried out of the classroom. I had to get away -

"Hey, you!" Takemiya slammed her hand on her desk and rose from her seat. "Get back here, I need to talk to you!"

No way! Do you think I'm crazy?!

I didn't slow down as I hurried down the hall towards the stairs. _'Crap, he's getting away!'_ Takemiya burst out of the door behind me and started running down the hall. _'Get out of my way!'_ A few students unlucky enough to be caught between me and her got shoved to the side.

Stay away!

_'...I wonder if Kazuto will be okay,'_ Nijika thought. _'That girl is scary... She's been glaring at him all day, I wonder what he did?'_ Instead of wondering about it, why couldn't you help me, Nijika?! You silly maid!

On second thought, she'd probably take that as a compliment.

I took the stairs two at a time and did my best to get around the students that were going down. I nearly bumped into one guy and he jumped to the side. "Hey, watch it!" he snapped. The other students on the steps turned to watch me scramble up the steps. "Jerk - Gah!"

The sudden shout caught my attention and I stopped at the top to look back down. Takemiya had grabbed him by the collar. "That guy that ran this way, where did he go?" she asked. Shakily he pointed up at me. You traitor! I didn't even know you, but traitor!

Takemiya looked up at me again and our eyes met for an instant before I took off running down the hall again. "Stop running already!" she shouted. _'This is starting to piss me off!'_ Well now I'm _definitely_ not going to stop running, not if she's pissed off!

I'd been running without much thought as to where I was going, and I paid for it when I realized that I was about to run straight into the end of the hallway. I didn't need to look behind me to know that there was a small crowd of students between me and Takemiya, and that gave me just enough time to duck into the nearest bathroom and duck into a stall.

_'Crap... I lost him! But this is a dead end, and there's only so many places he could be hiding. I'll just have to wait!'_

God damn it... I'd made a mistake and cornered myself! And now Takemiya was out there like a patient tiger, just biding her time and waiting. Well, it wasn't the end of the world. The nicest thing about bathrooms? Since I'd just grabbed the stall right next to the door, I knew I was out of sight of everyone. There wasn't anyone that could see me, so I could just instantly teleport to -

"Fuaah," a girl sighed as she entered the bathroom. "Man! I really worked hard during gym today. My whole body aches!"

"I keep telling you to take it easy, Rika," another girl sighed. "You're going to hurt yourself."

"Hahaha! No way! My burning spirit will protect me!"

A feminine giggle. "Honey, I'm convinced you're gonna pull something sooner or later. I make sure to check your horoscope every morning, but every time it says you'll be fine. Sooner or later your luck's gonna run out."

"Nya hah hah! Those things're super unreliable. Ain't that right, A-chan?"

"They are not!" Yuuna protested. "They've always been perfectly accurate for me."

Eh?!

What were the girls doing in... the bathroom... My heart sank as a small detail that had been nagging at me suddenly made sense. When I'd run in here, I hadn't seen a single urinal.

Because this was the girls' bathroom! I'd been so flustered I'd just ducked into the first open door I'd found, and that meant that I was in the wrong room.

"Huh? Oh, is someone in here?" Asuna asked. "I'm very sorry if we're being disruptive."

Oh no, they knew I was there. And with at least one of them looking my way, they could see my feet - and that meant I couldn't teleport away! How was I going to get out of this situation? Maybe if I just stayed really quiet, then they'd -

"Are you okay? You made a weird sound," Rika said.

"Maybe she's sick," Yuuna said. "Honey?"

This sucked! My friends were too nice! Especially Asuna. I could just imagine her fidgeting in place, worrying sick over some random girl she'd never seen.

"I can probably pop th' lock if we need ta," Kana said. She'd use her ninja skills, I bet!

Asuna sighed. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, Kana."

"Nya hah hah!"

"Ignore her," Asuna said. "But if you would say something, it would make us all feel a little better."

I took a deep breath. Well, since I couldn't teleport or turn invisible in time (Rika was nowhere near patient enough for me to focus for a minute before they popped open the door) that only left one real option. I'd have to transform.

Transformation was one of my psychic powers that I used the least, because of the six hour minimum that I had to stay in whatever form I transformed into. Since it was already the end of the school day, I would be stuck as whatever form I chose until at _least_ bedtime. Which meant I'd have to deal with _Sugu_.

"Honey?" Yuuna said. "We're gonna open the door to check on you, you're being a little too quiet."

"I hope she's not passed out," Asuna said.

Crap, I was out of time!

I-I'm coming out!

"Oh! Alright," Asuna said. _'I'm glad she's okay, then.'_

I focused on the easiest form for me to picture on short notice that wouldn't shock the girls. Almost immediately my power leapt to my will and I shivered as my form started to change. My clothes warped and shifted on my body, changing color and shape. By the time I reached out and unlocked the stall door, my power had finished its work and I opened the door.

"Ah!" Yuuna smiled at me. "Hi there!"

Kana let out a low whistle. "Sheesh, didn't know a cutie like you went ta our school. She in your class, Yuuna?"

Yuuna shook her head. "I haven't seen her before." _'And I'd definitely know her if she was. I wouldn't have overlooked someone so cute!'_ "Sorry if we were bothering you."

I-It's okay...

"I'm glad you're okay," Asuna said with a smile. "Though it doesn't look like you go to our school after all... What's your name?" I sighed and looked at my reflection in the bathroom mirror.

An adorable girl looked back at me. She was shorter than I was, with pale skin just like Asuna and a slender body with curves in all the right places. Her long black hair was luscious and silky even in the poor light of the bathroom, and her big, bright eyes shone. Her vibrant crimson lips were curved in a sweet smile that promised a lot and said nothing.

Or, in a word, me. I'd based the appearance I'd taken off of the avatar I had in GGO. Those descriptive terms that made my body sound so... adorable? They were the actual words my partner in that game called me from time to time when she was teasing me (I kept asking her to stop describing me in such a sexy way but she just smiled at me).

I'm, er... My name is Himiko Narusaka. It's nice to meet you all.

Yuuna beamed at me. "I'm Yuuna. I recognize that uniform, I used to wear one just like it!" I couldn't risk using this school's uniform, so I'd reshaped my clothes into ones that matched Yuuna's old school uniform. "But what are you doing here?"

"Maybe we shouldn't have this conversation in the bathroom," Asuna suggested, but was ignored by the others.

"Are you visiting someone that goes here?" I nodded at Rika's question. "I knew it! And now that I think of it, you look familiar..." She peered at me and tilted her head back and forth. "Huh..."

You might know my cousin... Kazuto Kirigaya?

"Kazuto! That's who you look like!" Rika pumped her fist triumphantly. "You're like, Kazuto but with longer hair!"

"Rika, don't be rude," Asuna said. _'Honestly, that girl says things without thinking them through.'_

Yuuna stared at me thoughtfully. _'Hmm, Darling never said he had a cousin... In fact, he said his only family is Suguha...'_ Crap, had she caught me? What would she say? The silence stretched on for almost fifteen seconds as she studied me. _'...Oh well!'_

I nearly fell flat on my face at her cheerful disregard for the mystery at hand. "Whatcha starin' at Hicchan for, Yuuna?" Kana asked with a grin. "Somethin' on yer mind? Thinkin' 'bout a boy~?"

"Oh, nothing like that," Yuuna giggled. "It could be nothing."

You all know my cousin?

Even if Yuuna had figured me out, that didn't mean I could let the others figure out the secret. "We do, actually!" Asuna said. "He's a very cherished friend of mine, and we're very, very close. He never mentioned he had a cute cousin like you, though." Uh huh. I'd believe that in a heartbeat. _'This is my chance! If I can get his cousin on my side...'_

_'Asuna's really laying it on thick... But maybe she has embarrassing stories to tell!'_ Rika grinned. "So how come you were up here? I haven't seen your cousin since lunch, come to think of it."

"I think he's still around." Yuuna's eyes were bright with mirth. _'I think I remember him saying that he could transform into anything else as one of his psychic powers, too!'_ Crap, she totally knew. "I can look for him if you'd like?"

It wasn't like I was embarrassed to be a girl or anything like that. Back when I was getting control of my powers, I'd usually wake up as a girl because I'd accidentally transformed in the middle of the night. Plus, growing up next to my super-muscled little sister didn't leave me with any illusions that girls were dainty or supposed to be protected.

_'...Did Kazuto just think something mean about me?'_ Seriously, Sugu's senses were ridiculous! _'No, my big brother would never do something like that, because he loves me so so much!'_

If anything, Yuuna's glee at my predicament was the only thing that was embarrassing!

"It's about time for us to leave too," Asuna said. "If you don't know where he lives, I can walk with you."

I-It's fine, I know where the Kirigaya household is...

"Hey! You there!" As soon as we stepped out of the bathroom, Takemiya stomped towards us. I immediately shrank back, before remembering that I was a girl now and she wouldn't know who I was. "Did you see Kirigaya run in there?"

"Kazuto?" Asuna asked. "In the girl's bathroom?"

"Nya hah hah!" Kana snickered. "Kazu-boy's a lotta things, but he wouldn't need ta sneak into th' gal's bathroom ta peep. I bet one 'a his psychic powers would be X-ray vision." She was right, but I wasn't going to tell her that! Besides, it was a totally useless power anyway.

Rika shrugged. "You keep talking about those psychic powers he's supposed to have, but I haven't seen them yet." Kana pouted in irritation.

"Shut up about that," Takemiya snapped. "Was he in there, or wasn't he? I've got to have a _talk_ with him." The girl cracked her knuckles absently, punctuating the sentence.

"No, he wasn't," Asuna said, her voice cold steel. "And it's not a good idea to chase after someone that doesn't want to talk to you." I was glad I wasn't the only one to stare at her incredulously, since Rika and Yuuna both turned to look at the girl in total shock. _'Did I say something wrong? Why are they all looking at me?'_

"...Tch." Takemiya clicked her tongue and turned away. "Whatever. But I'm not gonna just give up."

"Harassment is not a good thing," Asuna warned her, but Takemiya was already storming down the hall. She sighed and smiled at me. "I'm sorry, Himiko. It looks like your cousin got in some trouble." _'I hope Kazuto knows he can come to me with anything at all! I'd love to be able to help him.'_

_'My rival wouldn't be troubled by that!'_ Rika clenched her fists. _'Otherwise, he wouldn't be worthy of being my rival!'_ I never wanted to be your rival in the first place! "Seriously, who does she think she is, bothering poor Kazuto like that..."

"Girls, girls!" Yuuna clapped her hands. "Before you get irritated, why don't we think about our new friend?" She smiled at me. "You must be new in town, Himiko. I bet we could show you around! There's the cutest boutique, I'd love to go spend the rest of the day there looking at new clothes!" Oh no...

"Well, that doesn't sound too bad," Asuna mused. "Some window shopping with friends would definitely cheer me up." Oh no...!

Rika laughed. "Great, rich girls wanna go shopping. Guess we've got no choice, Kana, Himiko."

"Oh no, I gotta spend th' rest 'a the day watchin' A-chan an' Hicchan try on cute dresses," Kana snickered. "How'm I gonna live?"

Guh... Yuuna was just doing this to mess with me, wasn't she? The giggle I could tell she was trying to hide was enough of a giveaway! I'd been shopping enough times with Sugu, before and after she turned into the biggest brocon in the world, that I knew I didn't want any part of this!

A-Actually, I should go...

"It looks like Himiko can't come with us," Rika said. "She's probably gotta go see Kazuto and Suguha."

"Aww," Yuuna pouted, before her lips curved in a wicked smile. "That's too bad, honey. I would have loved to see you in a cute dress!" _'Don't worry, Darling, I won't say anything. Run on home, I'll see you tomorrow!'_ "But if you have to go, you have to go... I know! Next time you're in town, I'll _definitely_ take you out. We won't come back until you have an entirely new wardrobe!"

"It was lovely meeting you," Asuna said. Her dazzling smile made my heart skip a beat. No! Why was she so beautiful?! But I could understand why she'd gotten love letters from the girls at her old school... "If you see your cousin, please tell him I said hello!"

Sure thing...

Well, the worst part of the day was over. I'd managed to escape from Takemiya and the only casualty of her warpath was my dignity thanks to Yuuna's teasing (and even then I'd managed to escape from shopping hell). All I had left was...

_*ding!*_

My phone chimed and I checked the message. My lips twisted in a cute pout as I stared at Sugu's plaintive question of where I was, since I was supposed to be walking her and Shino home so they could work on their group project. Their original plan wasn't going to work since the heirlooms they were going to use for props were...

* * *

**August 21st, 2025**

_I couldn't believe Sugu had asked me to search around in the storage shed for these old relics. The place was super dusty, too, and I was brushing away cobwebs every few seconds._

_Lucky for me, my search was rewarded by an old katana, still in its sheath. The Kirigaya family was supposedly descended from a family of noble samurai, and this sword was supposed to have been used way back then, passed down through the generations until it ended up in our shed collecting dust._

_Seriously, did Sugu really want this dirty old thing? It's probably super rusty. Actually, I wonder -_

*shing*

"Finally!"_ Is... Is the sword talking to me? In my head?! _"Once more a Kirigaya has chosen to take up my power and fight! You have been chosen as worthy,"_ the feminine voice cheered. _"Take up my blade, and fight with Justice at your side! Fear not the ancient evils you will fight, my bearer, for you will be able to unlock your true potential and fight with the ancient power, long since sealed away!"

_...Alright, time to go throw this thing into the ocean! After tying rocks to it. And maybe dunking it in a barrel of cement first. Like hell I'm letting my brocon sister get superpowers!_

* * *

...accidentally misplaced. On accident. But that meant that every day last week and this week too, Shino had been coming over. I'd been walking both Shino and Sugu home, since the glasses-wearing girl liked spending time with me whenever possible.

So naturally, since I'd been delayed a little bit, Sugu had texted me asking where I was. There was absolutely no way I could show up like this! Psychic powers a secret from my sister aside, I didn't want her to suddenly get interested in this sort of thing!

So, I texted her back. 'Sorry, I had to go home right away. I got sick at the end of the day.'

_'...What?! Kazuto is sick!? This is awful! He's sick and I'm not by his side to make him soup and wipe at his forehead and kiss him until it's better!'_ After Sugu finished freaking out, my phone chimed again. 'Oh, okay. I'll see you when I get home. Can Shino still come over?'

'It's fine, just don't catch anything.'

_'He's contagious!? Noooooo!'_

Sometimes I wondered if my little sister was sane. But this created a second problem - I had to get home before Sugu did, and discovered that I'd lied to her!

Fortunately, this one was easily solved by a quick hop back into the girl's bathroom (now that nobody would bat an eyelash at a girl heading into the girl's bathroom), ducking back into the stall, and teleporting myself back to my -

\- room. I let out a squeak as my head spun from the teleportation backlash and I toppled back on my bed. Hmm. My girl form falls differently. It was more comfortable in places, too. Maybe... No. Sugu would have too much fun insisting I didn't know how to take care of my hair (I didn't) but that she could do it for me.

_'I have to go see if Kazuto's okay!'_

_'That girl moves fast... but if Master is sick, I'm worried too.'_

The swiftly approaching thoughts told me my time limit on this stealth quest was almost over, so I hurriedly tossed my uniform off and squirmed into my pajamas. Once I was wearing my comfy black shirt and sweatpants, fully aware that the ever-fashionable Asuna would have a heart attack if she saw 'Himiko' wearing this, I snuggled under the covers and sighed with relief.

Not a moment too soon, because the front door opened and a second later I heard someone hurrying up the steps. Elapsed time before someone knocked on my door: five seconds from the front door. "Kazuto?" Sugu asked. "Are you there?"

I coughed a few times to answer her question.

_'Oh wow, he doesn't sound good... His cough is super hoarse and high-pitched!'_ "I'll leave some water and some soup by your door in a little bit, okay? Rest for now," she said. "If you need anything, Shino and I will be downstairs in the living room."

_'I hope Master is okay... His lines look a little different today, for some reason.'_ She can see that?! That power of hers was more dangerous than I thought!

* * *

**August 24th, 2025**

I ran my hand through my short hair; it was back to its normal length, since I'd transformed back to my regular appearance once the two hours were up. Nothing against Himiko, but not having to worry about waist-length hair made my showers and baths so much simpler. I had no idea how Asuna and Nijika did it.

For one blessed morning, I was walking to school totally alone. I didn't need to worry about Rika challenging me to a race down the street, or Kana bugging me about my psychic powers, or Asuna and Yuuna chatting happily, or Nijika shyly asking if I was going to be on cleanup duties today. And most importantly, I didn't have Sugu hanging off of me every step of the way. I loved her as my little sister, but still... She complained about it constantly in her thoughts, but I knew she'd enjoy walking to school with Ayano and Shino.

That wasn't the only reason I was walking to school by myself. Takemiya had been surly yesterday after I escaped from her chase, and I didn't want to risk one of the girls getting caught by any thugs that the gang leaded sent after me. I could handle myself thanks to my psychic powers, but with one of them by my side... It'd be raising a flag to have a random encounter deliberately!

I didn't run into any problems on the way to school, and I let out a sigh of relief. Takemiya had walked into the room right before the bell for homeroom, so that meant I would be safe as long as I got to class early enough. I slid open the door and stepped into my class -

_'Oh! He's here already! Perfect. It's just us, with no witnesses.'_ Takemiya had been staring out the window with a bored look on her face from what I could see in the reflection, but as soon as the door opened she'd turned around to look at me.

Crap! I'd avoided the random enemies but the boss was an event flag! I backed out of the classroom, but Takemiya was already out of her seat and stomping towards me. As soon as I turned to run, a hand slammed into the wall right in front of me. I turned back to see Takemiya standing in front of me, staring directly at me. Naturally she was scowling, so I winced.

She was just waiting for me after all! Her thoughts confirmed it! 'No witnesses'?! She was going to... to... Why hadn't she done anything yet? I chanced another glance at her, and she was just standing there, keeping me from running away.

_'Well? Isn't he going to say something? I made sure to get in early so he could confess without anyone around to hear, but he's not saying anything!'_

...EH?!

Wha-wha-wha-what was she talking about?! Confess to her? How could she possibly think that I'm going to confess to her?!

_'Every time I looked at him yesterday he looked away from me in a hurry... He ran away before I could talk to him... He won't look at me for more than a few seconds... He definitely has a crush on me! That's what Goro said, anyway!'_

What?! ...I can't believe this author! I was so scared that Takemiya was going to try to crush me for what I did to her mooks, but it's all a huge misunderstanding?!

And what is this position anyway! I'm the guy! I should be the one pinning _her_ to a wall, not the other way around!

Takemiya sighed. _'Well, even if he doesn't want to tell me his true feelings, I still know... But I can't focus on that right now! I have to talk to him about what happened two days ago.'_ Oh no. "Hey," she growled. "I gotta chat with you."

Y-Yes?

"Remember two days ago? Those guys that were bothering you and your... friend." _'She can't be his girlfriend, I won't accept that! He seems really sweet and I can't picture a cute guy like him cheating on a girl!'_ "They think they're hot stuff, but some of my guys had a talk with them. They definitely won't be causing you trouble ever again." Ever again? Did she have them killed or something?! This girl was ruthless!

I, uh... Thanks?

"Don't worry about the how." Somehow, coming from Takemiya, that sounds incredibly threatening! _'Hopefully he won't feel worried walking around, now. I'm glad I could help him out!'_ "And you better call me Kotone from now on. Got it?"

Wait... Was Kotone Takemiya... actually a really nice girl?

It made sense! She stopped those thugs because she was worried I'd be scared! She had no way of knowing that I didn't care about them at all, because I could swat them like flies. And then she'd chased me down yesterday to tell me what she'd done. Takemiya hadn't been trying to do anything to me at all!

Wow. I almost felt bad, even though I knew it was the author's fault for making things so confusing in the first place. If I'd known, I wouldn't have run from her.

...If I'd known, I wouldn't have run into the bathroom and transformed into a girl, and Yuuna wouldn't tease me about that! God damn it!

* * *

**She's so scary, that Kotone. Horrifying. Just one look at her and you know it's bad news!**

**Jokes aside, I'm just enjoying myself here. She's going to be fun to write. But more importantly! The traditional appearance of my _favorite_ character in the series, Himiko. Hope everyone enjoyed her little cameo to visit her cousin. Psychic powers really are convenient, aren't they?**

**I'm not quite sure why I had Kotone be a gang leader? Maybe because it was funny? Or maybe because I was reading over a few books and that kind of misunderstanding is great for character interaction, especially because it'll force a little bit of tension between the different groups only loosely tied together because of Kazuto's presence. ...Nah, mostly because I think it's hilarious for Kotone to be in charge of the local equivalent of the Yakuza.**

**Many thanks to everyone that followed, favorited, or reviewed.**


	12. Competition Day

**Chapter 12: Competition Day; or, Her Curse Can't Actually Be Real?!**

* * *

**September 11th, 2025**

I stared at the board at the front of the room with dull resignation.

Sigh... Of course. I knew I wouldn't be able to escape from being the main character, but I'd held out some foolish shred of hope that the cliché plot development staring me in the face wouldn't happen. It was a foolish, silly hope, but I'd made the mistake of thinking that maybe, just maybe, the author would take a break and give me some time off.

You hear that, you jerk?! I blame you for all of this!

"Alright everyone," Ms. Ryoko said. "It's almost time for the annual sports festival. I know you've all been looking forward to this."

The class was already filled with excited chatter as soon as Ms. Ryoko finished her sentence. _'I can't wait to run around!' 'I hope there are cheerleaders.' 'I'm totally gonna beat her this time!' 'She won't win, I'm going to do my best!'_

"Settle down please," Ms. Ryoko said. "This year we'll be trying something new. A few of your upperclassmen had an interesting idea, and the school board is interested in trying it out. So, this year, the high school and middle school's sports festivals will be combined into one huge event."

"Huh?" "That's weird..." "But I'll get to see my friends again!"

I sighed and rubbed at my head. That had Rika written all over it. In fact, there wasn't anyone else it could possibly be!

"Isn't that great, Kazuto?" Nijika asked. "You said your little sister is a year below us, right? Now you get to play with her!"

Yeah... Great.

That's _definitely_ the word I'd use to describe having to do this whole event with Sugu more excited than anything else in the world -

_'I get to be with Kazuto during this? Hooray! This is the best news I've heard!'_

...Great. This is gonna be such a pain.

"I'm really excited for this," Nijika told me. "I always had to sit out of the sports days before thanks to my, um... my 'problem', but now thanks to Nanairo I'll get to participate for the first time ever! I wonder if I should run! Or maybe do a relay race? The scavenger hunt and obstacle course sound really fun too... Kazuto, what do you think?"

I think you should do whatever you want to, Nijika.

_'Whatever I want to... I get it! He's telling me that I should do what I want! And if I do really, really well, I bet he'll be so impressed!'_ Nijika giggled. _'And then he'll run over, and I'll jump into his arms and he'll spin me around and say "Wow, Nijika, you were amazing out there!" and then I'll blush and it'll be so cute and -'_

Does she ever stop? No. No she doesn't.

"Heh heh heh..." The low chuckle came from my left. I looked over to see Kotone leaning forward, staring daggers at the board. "I'm really looking forward to this."

All around her, my classmates flinched. _'Scary!'_ they all thought. _'Takemiya is scary!'_

_'I bet if I do well, Kazuto will be really impressed. If he's gonna fall for me, I have to make sure I do my best.'_ Kotone grinned again. The other students shivered. If only they could hear what Kotone was thinking...

Nijika poked me gently in the back. "Are you okay sitting next to her?" she whispered. "Takemiya is..."

The girl in question looked over. _'I heard my name, I wonder what they're talking about?'_

"Eep!" Nijika squeaked and ducked back. _'She's really scary when she glares at me like that... I don't like her one bit!'_

Everyone was a little on edge thanks to the misunderstandings about Kotone - and so everyone jumped when the door to the hallway slammed open. "I challenge you!" Saori shouted to all of us, framed by blazing sunlight that made her appear as just a shadow posing in the doorway.

What. The heck. Is she talking about.

"A challenge, eh?" Kotone rose up from her seat and stomped towards Saori. The thud of her fist hitting the door frame rattled the room, but Saori just stared up at her. Somehow... She wasn't worried about Kotone at all.

_'Kuh...! This one's Fear aura is powerful, but my Sealed Eye's helping me resist the worst of the effects! She's lucky I'm not going to activate my «Black Cat's Crossing» when any number of her classmates could be servants of the Dark Generals!'_ You don't have any ability like that! And by now you should know that Dark Generals don't exist. "That's right!" Saori said. Then she jabbed a finger at Kotone's chest. "I challenge this class to a battle with my own!"

"Ha ha ha! That's real brave of you!" Kotone grinned. "Very well, I accept! If I turned it down, people would talk!"

_'She's done iiiiiit!'_ half of the students in my class wailed in their thoughts. "That dumb girl..." "I can't believe she challenged a gang leader like that!" "Of course she accepted. It'd look bad if she backed down in front of someone..." "I'm worried about what's gonna happen now!"

Kotone frowned. "So what's the terms?" You accepted the challenge without even knowing what you could win or lose!? Kotone! "There's gotta be a prize, or this challenge thing is worthless." _'Is this one of those... substories Kazama told me about?'_

"Hmm... Ku ku ku! In this case, I demand the temporary servitude of one of your number! Naturally..." She posed, bringing a palm up to her face and grasping her hip with her other hand so that her arm crossed her body. She peeked through the gap in her fingers. "I demand as your sacrifice, Kazuto Kirigaya!"

Why me?!

"Kazuto?" Kotone cracked her knuckles. _'Sorry, but he's into me. I'll try to let her down gently.'_ "There's no way you're getting him. He's mine."

The class turned to me. _'Is he her errand boy?!'_ _'That's so sad...' 'Noooo, he's too cute to be dragged into gang life!'_

This was seriously getting out of hand!

"To the victor the spoils, then! I look forward to meeting you on the battlefield!" With another loud laugh, Saori ran away. Kotone waited a few seconds, then closed the door and walked back to her desk.

_'Weird girl. The eyepatch almost reminded me of Goro, though.'_ "I'm really looking forward to crushing her, now," Kotone told me after she took a seat.

"A-Ahem... Now that the interruptions are out of the way, I'll go over the different events..."

_'I hope there's a three-legged race!'_ Nijika thought happily. She hummed a little song to herself I didn't recognize but could hear in Yuuna's head from time to time these days. _'If there is, I'm definitely asking Kazuto to run with me! It'll be amazing!_

_'"Nijika, we have to be careful," Kazuto said. "It's really awkward, with our legs tied together."_

_"Hmm..." Nijika frowned. Even with her practice as an idol and dancing around on stage, that hadn't prepared her for this! "W-Well, I bet it'd be more comfortable if we were... maybe... closer?"_

_Kazuto looked down at their bodies, and then blushed bright red - before he shifted a little bit closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Th-there..." He scratched his cheek. "Is that... better, Nijika?"_

_"I really like this," she admitted shyly. "With your arm around me, it feels really safe, Kazuto..."_

_He blushed and she looked away...'_ What is this surprisingly wholesome scene?! It's like staring at a field of flowers!

Honestly, this whole situation is a giant pain. Whatever Saori wants, it definitely can't be as bad as having to work hard at a sports festival. I was a gamer! If this were a VR competition, I'd have no complaints at all. But trying to maintain control over my Strength stat IRL, and ignore all of those thoughts, and still try to win a race or something?

...Yeah, I'm definitely going to just take it easy and not worry about these things.

...

"I worked really hard to make sure everyone would have a lot of fun!" Rika said after she swallowed a mouthful of chicken. "I hope you all have a great time and work hard!"

"It's gonna be great, Rika," Asuna said.

"Heheh! I really hope so!" Rika clenched a fist and raised it to the sky. "My soul is burning red hot! I've put everything I had into making this the best sports festival yet, so it's gonna be a total success! You'd better not slack off, Kazuto! I'll be watching you with an eagle eye since you're my rival!"

Crap! Now I _have_ to do my best! If I don't, Rika won't stop complaining!

* * *

**September 12th, 2025**

It made for a pretty intimidating sight, everybody from the high school and middle school and gathered in the gym for one huge assembly. The sea of gym uniforms hadn't stopped me from unerringly picking out my little sister from across the room - she was the one getting astonished stares from some of the first year high school boys, talking to the glasses-wearing girl, and staring at me with a huge smile on her face and waving happily until -

Okay, fine, I waved back, Sugu! It was just a small wave, she didn't need to look so smugly satisfied with herself.

"Remember," Asuna said, wrapping up her greeting speech, "today is a day for all of us to try our best and have a lot of fun! No matter who wins, I want everyone to be friends at the end of the day."

"Woooo!" Rika shouted from the crowd. "Let's go already!"

When the crowd laughed, Asuna could only shake her head and smile. "If everyone's that excited, then let's get started!"

It took some time for everyone to get out onto our track, but the yard was definitely big enough. I looked around; since everyone was wearing their gym uniforms, I could finally find Kana and figure out what class she was in! Every time I'd asked her before she'd just laughed and told me, 'Ya shouldn't ask 'bout a gal's age, Kazu-boy~,' before sauntering away. So finally, I'd figure it out -

"Nya hah hah! Looks like everyone's rarin' ta go!" I sighed when I heard the very familiar laugh echoing from the speakers. "Fer th' kiddies in th' audience, I'm Kana Izawa. As a member 'a the Journalism club, I'll be actin' as yer friendly MC an' announcer fer this event."

I sighed. So much for that plan, huh? Now that I knew where to look, I could see Kana happily slouching in her chair, dressed in her usual brown jacket and school uniform.

"Th' middle school events are gonna be first out here, while th' high school takes up the gym fer volleyball an' basketball. After lunch, we're gonna switch. First up, th' middle school first year track races! We'll need -"

I had promised Sugu I watch her, but it was going to be about an hour until her track event. I briefly wondered about just walking off to go watch the... girls play volleyball, according to Kana's latest commentary, but this was Sugu I was talking about. Any amount of time she'd get to spend with me was a gift from the gods, or whatever.

...Of course I was going to try to sneak off! What do you think I was doing, just standing around waiting to get grabbed?

"Kazuto, get over here."

Someone grabbed me! I squirmed, but Kotone had a firm grip on my gym shirt's collar and was already walking away. If I didn't want to get dragged off, I had to walk with her. Help! Help, anyone, help! ...Yuuna! I see Yuuna! She's looking this way, she'll help!

Yuuna blinked at the sight, and then smiled. _'Ah! Darling's horoscope said that he'd be led to good luck! This must be what it meant.'_ She waved at me. _'I've heard nasty rumors about that girl, but you can take care of yourself, right Darling?'_

She can't possibly be serious!

Unfortunately for me, she definitely was. "You'd better watch me play," Kotone told me.

D-Do I get a say in this?

"No."

Well, okay then.

Kotone looked at me, then nodded once. "I'm off," she said.

Good luck...?

"Heh." Kotone smirked. "There's no way any of them can take me down. They're no threat at all."

A poor first-year girl from the high school's class 1-A walked around the corner of the hallway and caught sight of Kotone. She paled and turned on her heel before running away as fast as she could. Poor timing...

Since I'd gotten an order from Kotone, I couldn't really ignore it. So, with a heavy sigh, I trotted towards the stairs that led to the bleachers up above the gym. I could lean over the railing and see everything pretty easily. By the time I'd made my way through the crowd of guys gawking at girls in gym uniforms, the volleyball game had started up already. I watched as the ball bounced back and forth, and then -

_*tweet!*_

"Aww," a few guys moaned in disappointment as another mark went up against Kotone's team. They were losing pretty handily, with the score already 9 to 5.

...Go, Kotone, you can do it...

Kotone looked up at me, staring directly at me. _'He's watching, huh? Well, I'd better win this thing already! Enough holding back!'_ "Alright, time to get... serious," she said. When she cracked her neck and then slowly popped her knuckles one at a time, the sounds echoed through the quiet gym. One of the girls on the other side whimpered quietly.

That girl... She was pretty cool! Even if she scared everyone else half to death when doing that.

_'Okay, I did all the stretches Kazama showed me. Now I'm ready to work hard!'_ Sigh...

...

The rest of the morning came and went (because of Kotone dragging me off to watch her volleyball match I'd missed the races Sugu and Shino were going to compete in, much to both girls' internal disappointment). I yawned and stretched, rubbing at my eyes. It was almost time for –

'_This is just the worst thing ever… I can't believe it! I've never felt this much PAAAIIIIINNN before!'_ Eh?! I'd never encountered a more concentrated mass of depression and dark thoughts! Usually, when people were in bad moods, their thoughts would swirl around like dark rain clouds over their heads, sometimes even with little lightning bolts coming out if they were really upset. This… This was way worse that that! The girl in question was totally surrounded by clouds that were pouring down constantly, with lighting flashing every second.

…Wait, that was Keiko! What was wrong with her?

'_Those… those… those melons!'_ Keiko's thoughts drifted towards my little sister and started playing back a memory of Sugu as she ran towards a white ribbon, chest high, and the bouncing –

Nope. Nope nope nope. I can already see where this is going and I want _none of it, thank you._

"Lunch time, Kazuto!" Asuna said! "Are you listening? I've been talking to you for the last few minutes, and you haven't said anything." I blinked and looked over. Sure enough, the beautiful girl was standing beside me, a picnic basket in her hands. It was huge, and probably held enough food in them to feed a small army. Maybe there'd even be some left after Rika was done, too.

Oh, uh, sorry. Just lost in thought.

"The others are already waiting. Ah! There's Keiko. You two were the only ones left."

'_Why did Shino have to make a joke about winning by a chest-length?!'_ Sigh…

Fortunately, Keiko's mood was distracted when Asuna came over to collect her for lunch. We went to the others and sat down in the shade of a nearby tree; all of us said thanks for the food, and then dug in.

Ah... By 'all of us', I meant the regular rooftop group and the middle school girls that Sugu was good friends with. Kotone and Saori were eating off-campus and with the computer club, respectively. What, did you think I was going to interact with more people than I absolutely had to? No way! I was keeping my MC status as tight to the chest as possible! It was bad enough that I was already surrounded by a bunch of cute girls in tight gym uniforms!

"Waaah, this is so good!" Keiko exclaimed. "I can't believe you made this, Miss Yuuki!"

"Please, Asuna is fine," Asuna reminded the young girl. "And I knew that we were having the festival today, so it was only natural I made plenty of food for everyone."

Shino swallowed a bite of food. "The lines feel so far away... I'm so full of life...! Miss Yuuki, these are amazing sandwiches."

Asuna smiled, her cheeks pink. "Thank you very much. I'm glad you like them. And really, call me Asuna." _'I wish they hadn't heard so much about me being the Princess of the school from Rika. Now they're being so stiff when they talk to me!'_

Kuh... I can't tell how I'm supposed to feel about this! On one hand, more people experiencing the glory of Asuna's sandwiches is amazing! But on the other hand, that means fewer sandwiches for me...

"Hey, Kazuto!" I turned to see Sugu standing behind me, hands on her hips. "What are you eating for?! You know it's bad to eat right before we have a match! We're doing a demo, remember?"

I never remembered agreeing to a kendo match...

"Please?" _'I'm even giving him the puppy-dog eyes! He HAS to give in!'_ "I totally won't ask for another favor for a long time, Kazuto..."

Like I'd believe that!

Sugu pouted and puffed out her cheeks. "Well, at least I won't ask for a favor for a week! Is that good enough?" Well, it wasn't like I could just tell her to stop trying to break into my room and cuddle up next to me in my sleep, so I could only sigh and nod. "Yay! Thanks, Kazuto! You're the best big brother ever!"

I sighed again as she ran off to get things ready, and then turned back around to see the rest of the girls smiling at me.

What's so funny?

"Oh, nothing, Master," Shino said. Her smirk didn't fool me! "Nothing at all."

"She's right, we're not - wait wait waaaaaait a second, 'Master'?!" Rika started off normally and then whipped around to stare at Shino. "What the heck!?"

She just... calls me that?

"Nya hah hah!" Kana's nose twitched as she grinned. "I smell a scoop."

"Master is my partner in an MMO game we play together," Shino said. _'The fewer people that know about my eyes the better, like Master told me! So I can't tell them the real reason.'_ "Because he's so good at the game, I call him my Master."

"Ka-zu-to..." Asuna said sweetly.

"Are you making a cute young girl call you something lewd?!" Yuuna exclaimed. _'I thought you were better than that! But... if that's what you like...'_

No! No no no, none of that!

Shino blushed. "It's not like that between me and Master," she said. "In fact, we were just reunited after many years."

"Another childhood friend!" Nijika complained.

I-I'm just gonna run off! I think Sugu's calling for me!

...Yes, I was running away. No, I don't care what you think of that! I wasn't going to just stand in front of a bunch of aggroed mobs for no reason at all!

It didn't take too long for Sugu and I to get dressed. I hadn't done kendo in a while, but I still remembered most of how to put on the equipment - and Sugu was _more_ than happy to fuss at what I was wearing to make sure everything fit right. After that, we stood in the center of the field. Plenty of students watched us with interest as Kana explained all about how we were going to have a match. "An' don't worry, these siblings love each other too much ta really hurt each other. This's just a demo fight. An' I've got somethin' from Suguha ta read... 'Please join the kendo club if you like what you see!' Well, ya heard th' gal."

I sighed again and bowed to Sugu once Kana was done. She bowed back, and we both raised our swords. It had been a while since I got dragged into a match with her...

_'Kazuto's only been playing those games, so I bet he's a little rusty!'_ I got the mental impression of a smirk, just before Sugu attacked. She was kind enough to have her attack play out in her mind for an instant before she actually moved, so I managed to get my sword in position before she could strike me.

The wooden blades clacked together and I enjoyed the brief _'Eh!?'_ of surprise from Sugu's mind before she gathered herself and backed off. We circled each other for a second, waiting for someone to give an opening. "Oooh, they look like they're havin' fun," Kana snickered. "Who's gonna attack next? Will Kazu-boy finally get punishment fer flirtin' with A-chan an' Yuuna every day?"

You're not helping, Kana!

"Yeah!" "Beat him up, girl!" "For justice against our Princesses!"

_'Flirting every day...?! Kazuto should only be flirting with me! Because I love him the most!'_ "Hiyaa!" Sugu shouted and closed in.

The two of us traded blows back and forth, but I was always able to stay ahead of her just enough to block thanks to reading her mind. ...Hey, it's not cheating! I'm just using my abilities to win!

Oh yeah? Why don't _you_ go fight the kendo finalist? Yeah, that's what I thought.

Despite my advantages, Sugu was still just better than me in the real world (when I was holding my full strength back, anyway) and so I couldn't do more than block and make a few attacks. We danced around each other, until eventually the loudspeakers crackled again. "Much as I'm lovin' this fight," Kana said, "we're almost out of time and so it's gonna have ta be a draw! Congrats ta both of our lovely contestants, an' I hope everyone enjoyed the show!"

Sugu and I broke apart and bowed to each other sheepishly. _'Ahh... I forgot about our time limit! I was having too much fun playing with Kazuto! It's been years since we played together!'_ She thought this was just playing like we were kids?! This girl!

"You were so cool back there!" Keiko gushed as soon as Sugu and I returned to the picnic. I wasn't sure who she was talking to, but her eyes were sparkling. "I wish I could do things like that! But I'm way too clumsy..."

"It's fine if you can't," Shino said as she sipped at a thermos of tea. "Not everyone is able to do things like that."

"That's easy for you to say!" Keiko protested.

I'm sure you have your own skills and talents, Ayano.

"Eheheh..." she giggled. "Oh, by the way, you can call me Keiko! Suguha is a good friend of mine, so you don't need to be so formal."

I guess I should thank you for being my sister's friend, Ayano. She can be difficult, but please keep getting along with her.

"Hey!" Sugu yelped. "What's that look for, Kazuto? I can make friends!" I raised an eyebrow at her, then at Keiko and Shino.

You're doing a great job so far.

"Don't be mean to your little sister!" Nijika protested. "Little sisters are a gift and you should cherish them!"

"Yeah!" Sugu nodded. _'I don't get what she means, but if it gets Kazuto to love me more then I agree!'_ "...I still can't believe you're friends with idols, Kazuto."

"Eheheheh..." Keiko giggled again. As soon as she'd seen Yuuna and Nijika, she'd begged for an autograph. The only thing she had on her was her gym shirt, so now it sported two signatures on the back.

Nijika giggled, and then stood up. "Sorry, everyone! I'd love to keep talking, but I have to go run the relay race! We're a little bit behind class 1-B, so I have to try my best."

"Huh?" Rika asked. "What's that all about?"

Kana's eyes gleamed and she was more than happy to fill all the rest of the girls in on the bet between my class and Saori's class. For that matter, where was the eyepatch-wearing girl? _'Ku ku ku! The blessing of Mercury is with me today!'_ Oh, she's over there, doing her best in her races. Looked like she won too, if her distinctive laugh and typical ramblings were any indication.

"Come on!" Yuuna grabbed my hand and tugged me to my feet before she started pushing through the crowd. "We have to go cheer her on, Darling!"

Fine, fine, I'm coming. You don't have to pull my arm!

Yuuna smiled at me. "And don't forget to wave! Nijika really likes you. You're all she talks about at practice! Well, you and her little sister." Great...

Thanks to Yuuna's fame and popularity in school, she just had to smile and ask nicely to get a perfect spot right at the edge of the track. We could see Nijika standing in the middle of the track, her maid headband perched right on top of her head and a blue ribbon that marked her as a member of my class tying her hair back into a ponytail. "Go for it, honey!" Yuuna called out loudly. "You can do it, Nijika!"

...Shouldn't you be cheering for your own team?

"Yeah, but Nijika's my partner, so of course I have to cheer for her too! Besides, my class's race isn't for a while. Hmm, I should go find that cute cheerleader outfit!" Yuuna ran off. I watched her go, and sighed. Seriously, she's always trying so hard...

_'Ehh?! Kazuto is watching!'_ Nijika blushed when she saw that. I waved at her a little bit. _'What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?! I have to impress him! If I win, that'll be super amazing and I bet he'll love it! And then..._

_'Kazuto approached her as she smiled. A gold medal! That put their class ahead of 1-B! "Good job, Nijika..." he said, smiling at her._

_"O-Oh, um... Thank you," she said. "I... I... I did it for you!" It was only after she stammered that out that she realized just how it sounded. "U-Um, I mean, I did it so that you'd be safe from that weird girl with the eyepatch..."_

_"For me?" Kazuto's eyes widened, and then he wrapped her in a tight hug. Nijika squeaked unintelligible words as she tried to get a word in edgewise. "Thank you so much, Nijika."_

_And then there would be flowers and sparkles, and maybe some bubbles -'_

I winced. Nijika's delusions had gone on longer than usual, and the girl had just stood there with the baton in her hand after getting it passed to her. "Hmm, an' Nijika Karatachi of class 1-C is jus' standin' there," Kana mused from the announcer's booth. "Wonder what she's dreamin' 'bout? Judgin' by that look in her eyes, it's a prob'ly a cute boy!"

"Nijika! You'd better start running, honey!" Yuuna shouted from beside me, shaking her pompoms. She got changed fast! "You can't let us down!"

"Eheheh... EH?!" Nijika blinked rapidly. "Oh no!"

I could understand her dismay. She'd been daydreaming for a little bit, so despite the small lead her team had earned before her final leg of the race the rest of the runners were already halfway down the track to the end. There wasn't any way she could possibly -

"I'm off!"

Nijika tore off down the track, running faster than anyone had any right to be moving. She passed us in a heartbeat and Yuuna squealed as the wind played with her braid, but the idol rallied fast and shook her pompoms. "That's the way, Nijika!"

Nijika passed the ribbon to come in first place, and nearly plowed into the spectators on the side of the track when she tried desperately to stop. As she sighed in relief that she was fine (and that her maid headband was still perched on her head safely) Yuuna leapt to tackle her in a huge hug. "Congratulations, honey! I knew you could do it!"

"Kyaa! Yuuna! Careful!"

Rika jogged over to the two idols. "That was so amazing! You just went... zoom, like it was no big deal!" She raised a hand up, and Nijika carefully high-fived her. "...ouch, my hand..." Maybe not carefully enough.

...

Sigh. I knew it had to happen eventually, but I'd managed to avoid joining the competition so far.

"Wooo! Go Kazuto!" Sugu shouted.

"It hasn't even started yet, Suguha..." Keiko mumbled.

"So? I'm cheering for my big brother anyway. Or is that a problem?"

"No, there's no problem," Shino sighed. _'Aside from all the high schoolers staring at us... Then again, they might be staring at _them_.'_

Yuuna and Rika (because of course she'd managed to convince Rika to dress up as a cheerleader too) were both going through a complicated routine, shaking their pompoms and dancing around. Naturally, with two cute girls in cheerleader uniforms, they were getting a lot of attention from the guys.

Poor Asuna was blushing up a storm, weakly shaking pompoms of her own around. I had no idea how Rika had managed to convince her... Like Rika and Yuuna, she was getting attention from the guys - and also the girls, who were all staring at her. Their thoughts were full of _'Wow, Princess Asuna is so pretty!', 'Wow, her legs go on for miles!',_ and _'I wish I could look that good wearing that!'_. It was a little intimidating, to be honest. All those girls!

"Nya hah hah! With that many beauties cheerin' fer him, Kazu-boy's really earnin' his nickname of 'Enemy of all Men'!" What?! When did I get that nickname?! And why were all the guys around me nodding in agreement?! They're all from my class! "He'll have 'is work cut out fer him if he wants ta win this event! It's class 1-C versus class 1-A in a ball-tossing competition! Get those balls scattered around the ground into yer basket! 1-C wants ta toss 'em in th' blue basket, an' class 1-A want ta fill up th' red basket. Once every ball is in there, the game's over an' we'll count everythin' up!"

Sigh... Here we go.

"Alright, guys! Give us all a great show!" Kana cheered, just before a bright whistle blew. Immediately, everyone on the field dashed towards the nearest balls and started throwing.

Naturally, the scramble to get the balls consumed us all and the air filled with the balls. Most of them made it into the baskets, though some bounced off the rim and fell back to waiting hands at the other side. Or at least, that's how it should have worked. I tossed the last of my balls into the basket (it helped to be able to nudge them a little bit with psychokinesis) and looked back at the other class's basket. It was -

...Huh?! How is it that full already?!

"Oops," one of my classmates said while he limply tossed a ball at our basket. It didn't even make it halfway before plopping to the ground. "My bad."

What is going on?!

"Ooh, not lookin' too good fer class 1-C. Seems like some 'a th' guys aren't feelin' too motivated! Shame 'bout that, but Kazu-boy's legion 'a girls are gonna be disappointed their boy isn't winnin'!"

Grrr! Kana, I could do without the commentary!

"Nya hah hah!"

Great... My enemies are both the other class and my own teammates! If only Asuna and the others weren't dressed up as cute cheerleaders...!

_'Oh no, you look like you're in trouble, Darling!'_ "You can do it, Darling!" Yuuna called out. "I know you can! Blue is your lucky color!"

"You'd better do your best!" Rika shouted. "You're my rival, after all!"

"My big brother won't lose," Sugu said. _'And if he does, I can cuddle with him as a way to cheer him up! This is a win-win for me!'_

Man, I can't exactly let them down, can I? I'll just have to try my best to win.

_*Tweeeet!*_

"An' everyone stop please, thank ya very much fer playin'. Just gotta count out th' balls in each basket!"

I waited while they got the baskets down and started dumping out the balls. The red team went first, and it was way fuller than ours. Still, Yuuna said blue was my lucky color, right? So that meant that I'd win thanks to sheer luck, right?

...Why am I putting faith in what she said? I'm getting distracted!

"And th' final count is 83 ta 56. Ooh, better luck next year, class 1-C. An' good job everyone, ya did great!" Kana said.

"Awww," all my cheerleaders sighed together.

"Well, can't win them all," Asuna said. "...And now I can finally get changed out of this -"

"No way!" Yuuna immediately wrapped her arms around Asuna. "You have to go cheer on Rika, right~?"

Rika grinned and pumped a fist. "I still have another ten events to go! I'd love to have you cheer for me, Asuna!"

The beautiful girl sighed. _'I can't say no to that...'_ "Fine, fine..."

"Yess!" Rika threw her arms in the air. "Now I'm all fired up! Time to go!"

She raced off with the other two cheerleaders in tow, and I wondered if she realized she was still wearing the cheerleading outfit herself. Not like it was my problem, though. "It's too bad you didn't win," Nijika said. _'I have to try to cheer him up!'_

"Master did his best," Shino said with a smile.

"Yeah, you were really cool!" Keiko added.

Thank you Shino, Ayano.

"You can call me Keiko!" Keiko reminded me.

Since that was the only event I'd signed up for, I was done for the day - which meant it was time to go watch Rika at work.

...

"Oh no, it's her again..." Nijika mumbled.

Seriously? I'd managed to get away from Kotone with no problem at all earlier, but now she was just standing by the edge of the track, arms folded. All the students around her had backed off and left an open ring around her. "Who is she? She looks scary," Keiko asked.

"She sits next to Kazuto in class," Nijika told her. "And she's really scary! I've heard rumors that she runs a gang!"

"You can't believe rumors," Sugu said.

Nijika shook her head. "But these rumors come from Kana! And that means they're definitely, a hundred percent true," she said. As much as I wanted to deny it, I couldn't. Kana lived her info broker life by that one all-important rule.

Well, that and 'Get paid' but that's not really relevant.

Kotone looked over and scowled. "Kazuto, get over here." I sighed when the rest of the girls with me flinched.

Guess I'll see you later?

"Y-Yeah," Nijika said. "We'll be... s-somewhere else! Come on girls, let's find somewhere to watch the event!"

"Um, okay! Bye, Kazuto!" Sugu waved. _'But I wanna watch it with Kazutooooo!'_

"Stay safe, Master," Shino said.

Kotone glared at me when I stood next to her. "...I want water." _'I forgot to get something to drink earlier, and now I'm really thirsty. Hopefully he can save my spot.'_

"Is she telling him to fetch water for her?" "She's already ordering him around..." "If he doesn't get her something, is she gonna beat him up?"

I wish people would stop freaking out about Kotone! She's a nice girl despite her... everything else.

"An' fer our next event, it's the second year high school gals," Kana announced. "Like every other event so far, Rika Shinozaki is th' participant fer A-chan's class! An' the rest 'a th' participants... Sorry it had ta end this way." She clapped her hands together and bowed her head. "Nice knowin' ya, but yer prob'ly not gonna beat Rika."

It would almost be insulting if it weren't perfectly accurate, and all the other girls standing at the start weren't nodding in agreement. "Hey, let's all try our best anyway!" Rika exclaimed.

Naturally, she won the race with ease.

And the next, longer race. And the one where she had to jump for the bread and eat it without using her hands, and the one where she had to squirm under the net (though privately I thought Asuna might have had an easier time with that race, so I wasn't sure why Rika had signed up for it). It was kind of amazing, in a way.

"An' now it's time fer a scavenger hunt! Gals, when it's time ta go, run up an' grab a prompt from th' table. Be quick, since th' first one back with somethin' that matches yer prompt wins!"

Rika stretched her arms out and grinned, throwing up a confident peace sign for the watchers. _'Crap... This is luck-based, so I might not be able to win this one! Gotta get lucky, gotta get lucky...!'_

_*Tweeet!*_

"An' they're off! Looks like everyone's gettin' their challenges now! Who's got what? Bet there's somethin' easy in there!"

Rika stared at her prompt, a blue scrap of paper. _'Crap! What am I supposed to do with THIS? A boy I really admire? ...Well, screw it!'_ I watched with a slowly mounting dread as she ran towards me. No, no, no no no no no-!

"Kazuto, gimme your hand," Rika demanded. _'I don't get why he's with the scary girl instead of Asuna and Yuuna, but who cares! This is less embarrassing!'_

Do I have to?

"Rules say I have to grab my item and bring it back. So hand, now!"

I'm not a pet...

Despite my complaints I put my hand in Rika's and the brown-haired girl stiffened immediately. "U-uh, okay, okay, that's - that's good," she said. _'Why am I so weird about this? It's just like holding hands with Asuna, that's all! Yeah! Just like that!'_ She turned robotically and took a single step forward, before she crashed to the ground in a heap.

Are... you okay?

"Owww..." she mumbled, rubbing her head. "I'm... fine, yeah. Just tripped, that's all." I glanced at the ground. It was perfectly flat. "Lemme just..."

She tried to stand up, but when she put her weight on her right foot it buckled and she fell forward. I was able to catch her, so she didn't hit the ground again, but the girl's internal cry of pain was only expressed as a quiet wince on Rika's face. "Sorry, sorry," she grumbled. "Dizzy. 've been running around a lot, yeah... heheh..."

Alright, this is ridiculous. Get on my back.

"Kyah!?" She squealed when I took things into my own hands. All it took was a second to kneel down, and a judicious push with telekinesis to shove her straight onto my back. Her arms wrapped around my neck automatically and then I was back on my feet, carrying her in a piggy-back. "H-Hey! Kazuto! Put me down!"

Nope. You have to go to the nurse.

"A-Are you - hey! The table's the other way!"

"And it seems like Rika's gotten herself hurt," Kana said over the loudspeakers. "Seems like she's gonna be headin' off ta th' nurse's office. Too bad fer her class! Hope ya feel better soon, girl!"

"Kazuto! Kazuto put me down you jerk!"

Not happening. Asuna would kill me if I let you keep hurting yourself.

Or maybe worse, she'd stop making sandwiches.

Rika grumbled a little bit more, but gave up trying to struggle against my grip. _'Jeez, he's strong... Kazuto hasn't even slowed down with me on his back at all!'_ With a sigh, she leaned forward and rested her chin on my shoulder. ...Hey, hey, hey! There are some _things_ pressing against me! Please be more concerned about your body, Rika! I'm still a boy!

When we got there, the nurse's office was open but the nurse wasn't actually there. I sighed and knelt down near one of the beds, letting Rika scramble off of my back and onto one. Now, all I needed was a first aid kit to treat the bumps and scrapes Rika managed to pick up after a whole day of playing around...

"It's in the left cupboard, middle shelf." I looked at Rika over my shoulder and the freckled girl's cheeks colored pink. "Well, you're looking for the first aid kit, right?"

Right.

When I opened up the cupboard Rika had pointed out, the first aid kit sat right in front of me. I picked it up and carried it back to the bed, where I started dabbing at Rika's scrapes. Her knee was a little bit banged up and needed to be disinfected before I put the bandage on it -

"Oww," Rika whined. "That stings."

Oh, suck it up, rival.

"How are you so good at this anyway?" Rika grumbled. "Usually Asuna's the one fussing over me. N-Not that I'm ungrateful, but..."

Sugu tends to pick up plenty of scratches when she's super focused on her kendo matches. It only makes sense that I know how to take care of her, right?

Well, if I was going to be totally honest, that was mostly back when she and I were learning from our grandfather. She kept getting banged up when I would lose control of my strength by accident. Not that I really understood why it kept happening. So, naturally I would take care of my little sister's injuries. So, patching up Rika's skinned knee and - I dabbed at her nose with a cloth and sighed when it came away bloody. She at least had the courtesy to look sheepish about hiding her nosebleed. "Well, it would have stopped on its own," she muttered.

There wasn't much I could really do about it at this point, honestly. It would stop on its own, and the rest of her minor injuries had been bandaged up. I still used my Rejuvenation power just in case, to make sure nothing got infected.

_'The silence is kinda awkward...'_ Rika fidgeted on the bed while I put the first aid kit back. Sorry, Miss Nurse, but it was for a good cause. Please send the bill to the student council. "Hey... Kazuto?"

I looked back at Rika. She had her knees drawn up to her chest and was idly playing with the sheets of the bed.

Yeah, what?

"I really did my best to make sure everyone had fun today," she muttered. "I worked hard and everything, too. Asuna even praised me, saying 'You're doing a good job, Rika!'" She sighed. "But out there, I can't tell at all whether or not people are having a good time."

I walked over to the windows and peered out. A few girls from Yuuna's year were running around the track. Yuuna was running too, even though she hadn't changed out of her cheerleader uniform. I wasn't surprised to see that the idol was near the front - dancing up on stage took a lot of work from her, so she was in really, really good shape.

"What do you think?" Rika asked. "Is... Did I..."

...I don't know about the others, but I'm having a good time.

I wasn't sure why Rika was so worried about this sort of thing, but it really didn't suit her. She should be laughing and facing forward, blazing brightly. It wasn't like me to act so bluntly, but if I could set her mind at ease, I'd help wherever I could.

When I slid the window up, the sound of cheers filled the air. "An' congrats ta our winner!" Kana's voice echoed through the room.

See? They're having fun too. You did a good job, Rika.

Rika stared out the window, and then fell back on the bed with a loud laugh. "Man!" she giggled after she laughed herself out. "That totally wasn't like me at all! But thanks, Kazuto. That made me feel better. I think I'm ready to go back out there and run some more!"

Yeah, yeah. Sure you are.

Not if the thoughts hurrying into the school were any indication. It looked like Rika's 'nurse' was coming right away. With a quick wave I ducked out of the room. I'd have to take the long way around - but you can't read that and tell me it's not a win-win! I have longer until I have to go be the main character again, _and_ I get to avoid Asuna on her 'My friend got herself hurt' warpath.

Speaking of...

The door to the nurse's office slammed open again. "Rika! Are you okay?!" Asuna exclaimed. "I heard you were injured, and I rushed over as soon as I finished my events! What's wrong, where does it hurt?"

_'She's such a mother hen! Grrr, there's no way she's gonna let me go back out without fussing a lot!'_ "I'm fine, I'm fine!" Rika said.

I ducked around a corner and the rest of their conversation faded away to a distant murmur. Unfortunately, I could still hear their thoughts, like always. _'Kazuto already looked at her injuries! He's such a good friend. And he did a great job, too! But Rika's face is really red... I should check if she has a fever...'_

_'Ack! Too close! Sh-She's pressing her forehead against mine!'_

* * *

"Alright, great job, gather around!" Kana announced. "'Fore I sign off an' hand things over ta our esteemed Princess fer th' farewell speech, jus' wanted ta say, thankies fer lettin' me announce! It was a lotta fun!" Her eyes sparkled. "Oh, an' buy our magazine! It's real cheap, jus' a -"

"That will be all, Miss Izawa," Asuna said, her smile sweetly threatening. Kana cleared her throat nervously and handed over the mic before scurrying away. "Thank you very much. A round of applause for the Journalism Club, everyone." Once the polite clapping had died down, she smiled at the assembled students. "Now, the part that I'm sure everyone is looking forward to. The winners of the sports festival!"

Asuna had to wait for a second for the cheers to die down. I couldn't help but be excited myself. Hey, don't give me that look! I was always interested in leaderboards! Just... most of the time it was only in video games.

"In the middle school, the class in each year with the most points... First year, class 1-D! Second year, class 2-B. And the third year, and the class with the most points... Congratulations to class 3-E!"

3-E, huh? That was my little sister's class! Good job, Sugu! And Shino too, I guess.

_'Oh... I was hoping we'd win...'_ Why did I get the feeling if I looked for her, Keiko's twintails would be drooping?

"Every class did a wonderful job." Asuna smiled. "However, class 3-E pulled ahead when the competitor was able to jump over a higher bar than any other class!"

_'Way to go Shino!'_ Sugu thought. _'I knew she could do it! Her high jump skills were amazing!'_

_'Hmm... Maybe the abilities I have are useful for something after all...'_

"Congratulations again," Asuna said. "Now, for the high school classes! The winners are... Class 2-B, class 3-C, and with the most points in the high school classes - and highest total of points overall, setting a new record - class 1-A!"

...Eh?

"Woooo!" Rika cheered. "Go team!"

Ehhhh?! We lost?! How!?

I mean, I know it's because the author had to somehow make the beginning of this whole thing relevant, but that didn't make sense! When I left to go take Rika to the nurse's office, we had a small lead and there was only one more race left! How could we have lost so badly?

"I can't believe how that last race ended!" one girl said to her friend as the students milled around in the yard.

"I know, right? Everyone else just fell over and that weird first year girl won."

The first girl giggled. "The look on her face was priceless!"

Weird... first year... girl... Oh no don't tell me -

"Ku ku ku! My «Black Cat's Crossing» affected everyone at just the right moment!"_'…I can't believe they all really fell over… What luck!'_

This. _Can't_. Be happening.

* * *

**Ohhh, it's happening, alright. Too bad for Kazuto that he tried to stand against the story. You'd think he'd know better by now, but here we are.**

**Naturally this story had to have a sports festival, right? I have to mark every cliche off if I possibly can, and I hadn't gotten to this one yet. Hopefully it was the appropriate blend of 'things happening' and 'the girls happening' for the chapter to be entertaining but keep moving. Mostly it was also an excuse to have the girls dress up in their sport uniforms and then also their cheerleader outfits to cheer on Kazuto.**

**And I guess sure there's also some bonding between Kazuto and Rika but let's focus on the _really_ important stuff - cute girls doing cute things, and making life difficult for Kazuto.**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


	13. Steamy Situations

**Chapter 13: Steamy Situations; or, Hot Springs Are Dangerous Too**

* * *

**October 27th, 2025**

_*Slam!*_

"Kazuto Kirigaya! Your forfeit comes now! As the victor, I demand my compensation!"

Everyone looked up at the sudden intruder at the back of our class. The light from the hallway window outside blinded me and the only thing that I could see was a shadow posing in the doorway. After a second, she took a single step forward and posed again; this time, one arm crossed across her waist while her other hand brushed hair behind an ear, and her front foot was bent just slightly enough. I bet she practiced those poses in the mirror!

Fortunately, after a second Nijika hopped up to slide the door shut again.

Saori, what are you doing?

"Perhaps you weren't able to comprehend my words, steeped in magic and sorcery as they are!" Saori exclaimed, before she dramatically leveled a finger at me. "Will you honor your bargain? Or attempt to renege, throwing dirt on your word?"

"What'd you say?" Kotone snapped as she shot to her feet. "Anyone who says I don't have honor will answer to _me_!" Her glare fell on me. "Well, what are you waiting for? Go."

Y-Yes!

Even knowing that she was a nice person, Kotone was still scary! She was scary enough that the rest of the class didn't so much as murmur in complaint as I stood up and walked over to stand next to Saori. The eyepatch-wearing girl grinned widely and folded her arms. "An excellent decision. Truly, you are a worthy opponent! Until we meet again on the field of battle!"

Our class representative looked at me as the eccentric girl swept out of the room. "Kirigaya," she said finally, "you're excused. The rest of you, let's focus on planning what we're going to do for the festival, okay?"

It didn't look like I had a choice. I followed Saori down the hall until she opened the door to the computer room. "Saori, you're back!" Takuya said. Then, he saw me enter behind her and leaned back in his chair, tugging at his beanie. "Oh, hey, Kazuto. You managed to get permission, Saori?"

"Ku ku ku! Naturally! I didn't even need to unleash the smallest shred of my power, the gang leader is an honorable foe!" Saori smiled. She looked so proud of herself for that, too. "Perhaps not everyone is totally lost to the Dark Generals yet!"

Toshiyuki sighed. "Sorry about this," he said to me. I waved away the leader's apology.

Saori didn't explain much when she kidnapped me. Maybe you could tell me what's going on, since you're the president of the Computer Club?

"As I'm sure you've guessed by now, Saori had another idea," Toshiyuki sighed. "We _should_ be working with our class, but since the clubs can put together a separate booth if they want..."

"The Computer Club is going to be presenting a game that we've made together," Kenji said. The eternally-smiling boy seemed a little bit frazzled while he and Yonaga typed away. "It's slow going, though..."

And I guess you want me to help somehow?

It's not like I'd ever made a game before. Sure, I'd dabbled with some hardware design, but that wouldn't be useful for playing a game. (I'd been playing around with some shoulder-mounted camera stuff, but - Oh okay I can already tell none of you care.) "Exactly!" Saori exclaimed, pointing at me. "You and I, as bitter rivals, will be locked in naval combat!"

"Basically, we need you to help test the game," Takuya said. _'Lucky guy gets to play with Saori while I'm stuck making assets for spaceships!'_

I sighed. Sure enough, the rest of the Black Cats were hiding it well, but they were all quietly jealous that I was the one who got to challenge Saori. These gamer guys! If they'd just confess to her already, then I wouldn't have to ignore their thoughts all the time!

Alright, let me just sit down. Who's got the latest build for me?

...

"I'm surprised they're letting you work with the Computer Club alone," Asuna said. "I thought you had to balance your time between your class and your clubs."

"Huh? Who told you that?" Kana asked.

"Rika," Asuna said. "The last few years, that's why she's been running around like crazy every time the school festival starts." After a second, she blinked and then sighed. "Or, I've just been making an assumption and Rika wants to be part of everything."

The rest of us looked at each other. "That sounds about right," Yuuna giggled. "Too bad Rika isn't here, or she could clear things up!"

"Ah - um, I saw her with the Theater Club earlier, helping them make some stuff for a play," Nijika said. "She said she'd be eating lunch there, so..."

"I already delivered her lunch, don't worry," Asuna said with a sweet smile. "She works so hard, so I had to make extra food for her today."

_'Yeeeees! Extra sandwiches! Best day ever!'_

No fair! I want extra sandwiches! Grr... This sucks!

"Oh! Kazuto!" Nijika chirped. "Our class decided that we were going to do a maid cafe!"

"Of course," Yuuna giggled. "Bet you're excited about that, honey!"

"Yeah!" Nijika smiled. "I'm definitely going to do my best to live up to what a maid should be!"

Her eyes were practically sparkling as she sighed. Her thoughts were filled of herself, dressed in a fancy maid outfit, sweeping around with a duster; anywhere she touched became sparkling clean in an instant, effortlessly. In just a few moments, the dirty classroom that she'd pictured herself in was back to a picture-perfect room where you could eat off of the floor (if Nijika the Super-Maid let you eat something that had touched the ground instead of cleaning it up instantly). The imaginary classroom was literally gleaming in the light from the sun.

"Speakin' of doin' yer best," Kana added, "have ya heard? Th' turn-out of club presentations was kinda weak last year, so th' staff is givin' out a prize fer Best Club now."

Asuna nodded. "I remember Rika complaining about the other clubs last year... Though, I didn't know there was going to be a prize this year. What is it?"

"Nya hah hah!" Kana snickered. "Can't give away th' surprise, so if ya wanna know what it is, buy our newspaper! Nya hah hah!" We all sighed as the money-obsessed girl laughed. I'd expected that response, but there were very, very rare times when she'd surprise us. _'If we win the hot springs trip, I'm definitely inviting A-chan and Kazu-boy!'_

Oh. So it's a hot springs trip. Just great. And I can already tell that the Computer Club is going to win despite my best efforts, because of the title of this chapter!

...

**November 1st, 2025**

We worked hard (or, well, the other members of the Computer club worked hard and I did my best to keep Saori occupied, which - okay, no, everyone worked hard) until the day of the school festival. "And once more we greet the morn!" Saori exclaimed as she opened the door to the Computer club. "How about it! Will our weapon be effective against the wiles of our opponents?"

"It's fine," Toshiyuki reassured her. "You and Kazuto tested the latest build yesterday, remember?"

"Yeah," Takuya grinned. "You were even talking about how cool it was."

Saori sat down at the table and propped her arms up on the desk, lacing her fingers in front of her. After a second of posing, she reached into her bag and pulled out a pair of glasses that she put on (it looked silly on top of her eyepatch, but I wasn't going to say anything) and angled her head so the lenses caught the light. "Excellent. Exactly as planned." That's not even the right reference! The author is a hack!

"We're done setting up the signs and everything," Kenji said as he and Yonaga walked back in. "Hopefully we get some visitors. I want to show this off."

"Ku ku ku..." Saori chuckled. "Fear not! Because I planned for this! Behold!"

She thrust a newspaper in our faces. One copy for each of us. I scanned the article highlighted, and then stared up at Saori.

Saori, what is this?!

"I can tell you're shocked! But fear not, faithful Black Cats!" She spread her arms wide. "For I, the wielder of the Mystic Eye, have already blessed your abilities this day with my Cat's Eye Blessing!"

Toshiyuki laughed. "Eheheh... Yeah... Thanks, Saori..."

Forget about that! Why do I have to go up one on one against everyone else?!

"Huh? You're the best gamer here, Kazuto," Takuya said. "Everyone knows that." He looked around and all the other Black Cats nodded. "This might not be ALO, but none of us forget how you saved us back then. So this is totally your show, man!"

"Indeed!" Saori slammed a hand on the table. "You are the best choice possible in this, our most dangerous fight yet! And here! To enhance your powers, use these powerful Titan's Gloves! They've been stitched from the softest wool, with special magical circles woven in to ensure victory." Saori these are literally just another pair of the fingerless gloves you always wear!

Still, they were surprisingly nice gloves; I couldn't see any loose threads or anything like that, and when I slipped them on - just to try! Besides, she'd pout if I didn't - they fit snugly and were surprisingly warm.

Saori smiled. "Excellent. I'm glad they fit, Kazuto. My skills were hard-won creating equipment for myself, after all!" Wait, so she's saying she makes them herself?! "Now onwards! We must fight and emerge victorious, as the Darkened swell in number even as we speak here!"

The computer club was lucky, so to speak. Since we were one of the closest clubs to the classroom, we were one of the first setups that visitors would see. That meant that we were able to capture the most people who were just browsing around - and the lure of trying out a game with colorful lights, sounds, and an unbeatable opponent meant that our line started stretching out.

And I _was_ unbeatable. The reason for that? I was cheating with my telepathy.

Don't give me that look! My psychic powers cause me enough grief as it is, and it wasn't like I could _stop_ cheating! I didn't even want to in the first place, but I had no choice!

As for how I was cheating, well, it was simple. The game that the Black Cats had made was a simple tactical wargame, dressed up to look fancy. Neither player knew where the other's space fleet was until they got close enough to see each other - but with my psychic powers, I was able to read my opponent's mind whether I wanted to or not, and they always pictured their next move. So, I knew where their ships were at all times, which made pincer attacks and sneak attacks the order of the day.

"No way!" one guy from a different school wailed. "How could I - You're cheating! You have to be!"

"Yeah!" his friend said. They made an interesting pair: one short and round, the other tall and thin. "There's no way you could be that good at the game!"

Kenji stepped forward, his smile still steady. "E-Easy, there... The game is fair, and we're not cheating at all." As expected of the Black Cat's tank! He'll distract them, and then one of the damage dealers will finish the job!

"You dare?" Saori exclaimed? "Our honor is spotless! Black Cat's Crossing!"

The two guys looked at her as she did weird poses at them, and then they turned away. "Whatever," the chubby one said. "Forget it." _'That game was pretty good, though...'_ They walked away back through the crowd -

\- and bumped straight into a maid. The chubby guy lost his balanced and fell back on the floor, and I winced when I saw who they'd run into. Wow, that was seriously some S-rank bad timing! Kotone glared daggers at the first guy as he rubbed his nose. _'Ah, I wonder if he got hurt from that fall...'_ She was wearing a really nice maid's dress, even though it was pretty simple.

It was some extra-bad timing for those two guys too, because a few older men in rumpled suits that flanked Kotone on either side stared down at them. If they had names like in SAO, they'd be Yakuza Thug One through Yakuza Thug Five. All of them stared at the kids who'd dared to run into their boss like that.

"S-S-S-S... Sorry!" the two boys shrieked, and ran off down the hall so fast I could almost see dust coming from them.

_'I guess he's fine...'_

"Boss, should I go after 'em?" One guy smacked a fist into his palm. "Make 'em apologize proper?"

"Don't do that," Kotone snapped. "They already apologized."

_'The boss is so generous!' 'She's the best ever!' 'We should all strive to be like her!'_ I sighed. Great. Today was off to a great start already...

Kotone looked me up and down, and then sat down in the challenger's chair without asking permission. "Hey!" one of the guys that had been waiting in line complained, but Kotone just glared at him. "O-Oh, um... Never mind."

_'I guess they really weren't waiting in line...'_ Kotone looked back at me. "Let's go."

I sighed and started up the next game. There wasn't much I could do in the face of someone like that. It didn't take long for both of us to get focused on the moves, and... "There!" Kotone snapped, shoving her forces forward as soon as I shot down one of her scout ships. I pulled my ships back quickly, but there were still a few losses. Tch... She kept a healthy fleet of scouts flying around that kept me from safely hiding my forces in meaningful chunks, and every time I shot one down her massed forces would swarm me.

"Yeah! That's the way, Boss!"

"You show that kid!"

It didn't help that her cheering squad was loud and noisy! It was really hard to concentrate, but Kotone didn't seem to have a problem at all -

"Excuse me. If you're here to watch, please stay quiet. You're disturbing the others."

The polite voice carried the weight of an order. I glanced over in surprise to see Nijika standing there, hands on her hips. Her maid outfit was neat and tidy, with a red color; it was way frillier than Kotone's, though, with a black ribbon tied neatly around the neck and an extra ribbon perched cutely on her head.

The thugs all looked at each other, then mumbled under their breaths and quieted down. The fury of an angry maid is terrifying!

"Thank you very much." Nijika nodded briskly, then stepped up right next to me and stood there. The worst part is, I couldn't even complain, because there was something about her that just screamed 'I belong right here'. Seriously, her maid abilities are insane! She glanced at the messy and disorganized line, then back at me. _'Hmmmm...! It's so... messy!'_ I ignored her; I needed to focus on the game, and after a second my tactics played out with efficiency as I blindsided Kotone's fleet and split it into two. _'Grrr! I can't stand it any more!'_ "Alright everyone, please stand in a straight line. You'll get in everyone's way if you stand like that!" With Nijika's help, the messy line was soon straightened out and stretching down the hall.

Thank you, Nijika. So, are you on your break?

"Uwaah..." Nijika let out a huge sigh. "It's been so much fun today! I'm doing my best to live up to the maids I admire!" She giggled. "I just wish you could be there with us, Kazuto... It's lonely without you."

"Isn't your class doing a maid cafe?" Takuya asked me. _'Huh, I wonder what Saori would look like in a maid dress...'_

"Yep!" Nijika chirped. "Everyone is doing a great job. How about you? Is everything going well?"

Kotone glared at the screen when I was able to finish mopping up her units, and stood up. "...Good." _'Wow, he's really good at this game! I wish I could show off my skill, but I'm better at fighting games anyway. Plus, my break's over so I have to go anyway.'_

"Ah! Boss!"

"Wait up!"

The thugs followed after her in a hurry after Kotone stormed away. Nijika let out a sigh of relief as they left. "Scary," she mumbled. I wondered how Kotone was doing in the cafe, but it couldn't be that bad. After all, I wasn't really hearing any negative things in people's thoughts. "Ah! I should go, Kazuto. Good luck!"

...

**November 3rd, 2025**

"And congratulations to the Computer club for their amazing game!" Asuna said. _'I knew Kazuto would do it!'_ "For your outstanding performance in the festival, please, take these tickets to the nearby hot spring!" Toshiyuki blushed as one of the Princesses of the school smiled at him and complimented his work, and accepted the tickets. We were lucky; the trip was 'admit one group' and so everyone got to use it.

"Yes!" Saori clenched her fist. "We did it!"

"I'm really looking forward to the trip," Yonaga said. "It'll be great to relax after working that hard." _'Plus we'll get to be in the hot springs with Saori!'_

Takuya grinned. "Look at Leader, he's blushing bright red!" _'We get to see Saori in the hot springs!'_

"Don't tease him, Takuya," Kenji said. _'I'm looking forward to this!'_

All of you...!

Once the assembly was finished, Rika and the other girls approached me. "Congrats on winning!" Rika said. "I knew you'd do it!"

"Ahhh," Nijika sighed, "I hoped we'd manage to win too, but... we just couldn't beat the competition." It wasn't like it was their fault, after all. She may be a popular maid idol, but she was up against the two Princesses, as well as Rika - the freckled girl may not be on the level of Asuna or Yuuna -

"Achoo!" Rika sneezed. "Huh?"

"Is something wrong?" Asuna asked.

The girl rubbed her nose. "No, just felt like someone was thinking mean things, that's all."

"You sneeze for that?" Nijika mumbled.

\- but she's still an incredibly popular person among all the clubs. Of course they'd go visit those people.

"So, Kazuto," Asuna said. "When are you leaving for the springs?"

I don't think Saori picked out a date yet, why?

"Nya hah hah! They're goin' on next week!" Nijika stifled a shriek of surprise as Kana popped out of the crowd. "The 9th is the date~."

Eh?! How could she possibly know that!?

* * *

**November 9th, 2025**

I'm only slightly mad that Kana was _exactly_ correct in her timing. Saori had demanded that we go as soon as possible, so naturally the trip was scheduled for the next Sunday. And, as expected, the other girls had decided that there was no way I was leaving them out of a trip to the hot springs. I knew this was going to happen as soon as I heard the word 'hot spring'. There was no way Asuna would miss out on a chance to soak in a new bath!

The Black Cats and I took the bus up to the hot spring, but the girls all took a separate car thanks to Yuuna and Nijika's earnings. Their fan count had skyrocketed with every concert they put on, and that meant they were making money hand over fist; which meant that Yuuna had no problem sharing her good fortune with everyone else.

_'Waah, this is such a nice car! I'm glad Miss Yuuna let us ride in it!'_

_'That little shrine maiden friend of Kazuto's little sister is adorable! As expected of my rival! ...'s little sister!'_

_'I hope Yuuna doesn't expect me to think of this as bribery to stay away from Kazuto at the hot springs today...'_

_'Asuna probably won't let me spend extra time with Darling, will she? Darn! Oh well, I'll just have to enjoy the sights elsewhere~!'_

_'I wish Master were riding with me. It'd be more fun if he were here... Maybe we'd get to talk about GGO for once.'_

_'Hmm... How can I convince Kazuto to try out the mixed bathing, and then 'accidentally' walk in...? But if I'm too obvious, then they'll figure it out!'_

I sighed. Even on the bus, I couldn't get away from their thoughts! At least Nijika seemed more interested in watching the scenery than thinking about me, for once.

_'Why do we have ta go theeeeeere... This sucks. Stupid Kanamoto family! Stupid ninja clan.'_ Eh? What was Kana complaining about? For that matter, I was surprised she was willing to tag along with everyone in the first place. She'd seemed kinda irritated and a little depressed when Asuna had told everyone where they would be going. But for an instant, she'd been super excited. Come to think of it, she got super depressed as soon as Asuna told them who owned the hot spring...

Wait, is this going to be a ninja battle?! I refuse! It would get in the way of my relaxation time!

"These hot springs supposedly bubble up from deep within the earth! And so if I bathe in it, I will unlock hidden powers as they spring forth from deep within my soul!" Great, what was Saori babbling about now? At least the other passengers didn't seem to mind that much, even while the Black Cats exchanged long-suffering glances. "Ku ku ku... Soon! Soon, I will be able to break the chains restraining the sacred spear Longinus, and take up my true role as -" The bus abruptly hit a pothole and everyone rocked. Saori had been making some weird hand signs at the moment and the pothole sent her lurching to the right. Straight onto my lap.

Instantly I had the ire of every guy in the Black Cats. _'She's on his lap!' 'That's so not cool, dude!'_

_'Lucky...'_

"Oops! Sorry, Kazuto!" Saori seemed perfectly calm and composed once she sat next to me properly, and I did my best to focus on anyone else's thoughts, because I knew how things always went! If I listened to what was going through her mind, she'd be all embarrassed and awkward and crushing on me again! "Ahem. ...The sacred spear Gungnir must be rebelling against its chains, buried deep within the earth as it is!" Hang on, wasn't it the Longinus just a few seconds ago?!

...

"Whoa..." everyone breathed as we stared up at the entrance to the hot springs. It was a really amazing building, made with thick wooden planks. Ivy plants climbed the sides of the walls, but the entrance itself was kept perfectly neat.

"Well, don't just stand there!" Saori said. "Let's go! I can't wait to jump in the hot springs!"

_'Hee hee! Kazuto is going to be so surprised when he sees us!'_

I'm very sorry, Asuna, but I already know the surprise. In fact, I'm fully aware that all of the girls that were in Yuuna's car were casually waiting right inside the door - and when we walked through that door to enter the building, there they all were. "Ah! Hello, Darling~!" Yuuna called out. "We decided to take a trip of our own. Hot springs are just the thing for chilly days in November, right?"

"And I've heard it's wonderful for the skin, too," Asuna added. Like she needs any treatment to make her skin nicer or anything like that...

Sugu waved. "Hi, Kazuto." _'Darn it! I still haven't figured out how I'm supposed to get him to take a bath with me!'_ "Asuna asked us to come along too."

"Miss Asuna is very nice!" Keiko added.

Asuna giggled. "Asuna is fine," she reminded Keiko. "And why are we just standing around? It's cold, so let's hit the springs."

"Yeah!" Saori cheered. _'Soaks are more fun with friends!'_

"Ah... We'll go ahead," Toshiyuki said.

I started to follow them, but Rika folded her arms. "And don't even _think_ about trying to sneak a peek, Kazuto!" she told me.

What?! Why are you saying that to me! I wouldn't do something like that.

"Kazuto wouldn't peek," Sugu said. _'I wish he would, though~!'_

"He definitely won't, if he knows what's good for him," Shino said. Then, she adjusted her glasses very conspicuously. As powerful as my psychic powers are, I might not be able to defend myself against her eyes!

Kana just sighed. _'This sucks... Stupid assassination ninja clan. Though they're supposed to be backing off of that stuff lately... Still feel guilty about giving them money to spend some time here, even if Yuuna insisted on footing the bill.'_ Ah, I see. More ninja stuff.

I really needed to get going before I spent too much time with the girls. I wouldn't put it past Yuuna or Nijika to try... something. I didn't know what, exactly, but those idols were always up to no good! I ducked out while the girls were busy gushing about how amazing the baths were going to be and headed down towards the entrance. I very deliberately passed by the mixed bathing. Not today, Sugu!

_'Heheheh! Kazuto hasn't come in yet. I bet he fell for the switched curtains!'_

I froze just as I was about to brush past the blue curtain marked 'Mens' at Takuya's laughing thought. Oh? He switched the curtains, huh? Well, too bad for him! I wasn't about to just walk into the girl's bath like that. It was just asking for trouble. I didn't even need to check down the hallway to see if anyone was coming before ducking through the red curtain instead. My telepathy is on a roll for being strangely useful!

...In hindsight, I really should have seen it coming. I was just tempting Fate with that last line, so honestly I was literally asking for it.

I hadn't even thought twice when I got in the steamy hot springs after washing off. So what if I didn't see any of the Black Cats after getting undressed or entering the bath proper? I was tired after the long bus ride and it hadn't even registered in my mind. Until, of course, I let out a long sigh and Toshiyuki's thoughts entered my relaxed mind. _'Kazuto still hasn't come in. I definitely switched the curtains back after Takuya tried to mess with things, but maybe he's still talking to the girls?'_

That thought immediately made my blood run cold. I'd screwed up! I'd let my guard down and the story had pounced on my moment of weakness! To make things worse, as soon as I tried to focus, the door to the changing room slid open. "Woo hoo!" Rika shouted as she ran out - followed by the rest of the girls. I immediately choked and ducked behind a rock.

If they knew I was in here, then that meant I was going to be in _so_ much trouble! Shino might even try to follow through with her threat!

"Oh, is someone else in here?" Asuna!? Why is she so perceptive?!

Since I was hidden behind the rock, I could teleport away, so I closed my eyes and - no way! Where did all of these people come from?! There was nowhere to teleport to in the boy's side at all! It made sense with the hot springs, the Black Cats were in there! But why was the changing room so full all of the sudden!? Stupid psychic powers and their nonsensical restrictions!

"Keiko," Shino said, "don't forget we have to wash off first."

"Ehehe... I forgot."

_'I wonder who's here?'_ Footsteps started to approach me, and I panicked at Yuuna's thoughts. "Hee hee! This kinda feels like when we met Himiko, right?"

"Nya hah hah! We wouldn't run inta Hicchan here, Yuuna," Kana snickered. The problem is, if I couldn't teleport away, they just might!

The footsteps got closer and closer, and I tried desperately to teleport. It was now or never, because if Yuuna caught me, there was no way I would be able to stay a guy for the rest of the trip! "Hi there!" Yuuna sang, as she peered around the rock -

\- My butt hit the wooden floor of the guy's changing room, and I sighed with relief. _'Huh? I could have sworn there was someone there for a second... Did I imagine it?'_

_'Th-There wasn't anyone there? I-Is it a ghost?'_

_'Great, Asuna's freaking out again... This is just like that time I told a single ghost story when I slept over last year...'_

I let out another sigh. Asuna was scared of ghosts, so I felt a little bit bad about frightening the beautiful Princess... But on the other hand, I didn't have to transform into my Himiko form and then deal with all the _fussing_. Plus, I wouldn't have to worry about Sugu hearing about her 'cousin' that she didn't know about. The other girls had promised not to mention it to Sugu after Yuuna asked them (I wasn't sure about the details, but she'd assured me they wouldn't mention it at all) but I still didn't want to risk it.

"Ah... Hey, you okay man?" The man that was staring at me in surprise looked like he was a few years older than me, with tangled long hair and a few patches of stubble. _'I thought I was the only one in here...'_

Uh... Yeah, I'm good.

He straightened up and ran his fingers through his hair. The silver rings on his left hand glinted. "Okay, sure. Just shout if you need something. I'm working here." _'At least I'm getting paid by Auntie for this shitty job... Gah, I wanna go PK on SAO some more, it's way more fun than this. Not like we're gonna be able to beat the Izawa family doing this anyway. If we don't change soon, our branch is gonna die out.'_

The shabby-looking kid wandered out of the changing room, and I stood up. That was really, really, _really_ close. I took a seat on the bench in the changing room and let out one more sigh that stretched out as long as I had breath. After that, I didn't really feel like soaking in the hot springs any more, but it was still a little early for me to get dressed.

_'This isn't fair... I'm only a year younger than Suguha, but still...'_

_'Oh no, Keiko's depressed again! I wonder why?'_

_'I can't believe Rika does so many sports and still has... that!'_

_'Nya hah hah! A-chan's so shy, when she's got more to work with than I do! Someone's gotta - Oh wow, Yuuna looks like she's having so much fun!'_

_'Rika is so selfish, keeping these to herself like that!'_

_'Nooooo! That feels weeeeird! Asuna is the only one who should get to do that!'_

_'Wh-wh-what is Rika saying?!'_

_'Well if Yuuna's gonna help herself, than I'll dig in too~! Nya hah hah, A-chan's squeals are the best!'_

_'Paaaaaiiiiin!'_

_'Keiko... I can kill anything, but I can't kill what doesn't exist.'_

Great. I really didn't need to know _those_ things were happening over there. Even if all the guys in the other bath were probably suffering from nosebleeds, I didn't really need to have those images shoved in my head. To do anything other than sit there and be forced to listen to the girls grope each other, I focused my telekinesis for a quick blast. One twist later and I was perfectly dry. All I needed to do now was get my clothes. To do that, I'd need the girls to take a long time in the bath... Knowing Asuna, I was in the clear.

It took a minute to turn invisible, but nobody interrupted me and I snuck into the girl's changing room without a problem -

"Don't mind me, you girls have fun!" Asuna called out. I froze as she walked out of the bath, clad in nothing but a towel around her body with her hair tied up. I immediately whirled around the corner to hide from her, just to make sure she didn't walk into me. _'I wish I could keep soaking, but I couldn't stop thinking about that... No, I'm _not_ going to think about it! Don't think about the gh- no! No no no! Think about nice things instead, like ice cream and Rika and Yuuna and Kazuto!'_

Fortunately, Asuna was worrying about her ghost problems while staring at the wall away from where I had put my clothes, so I snuck over and grabbed everything. "Eh? Is someone there?" Asuna turned around at the noise I'd made, but I'd already run away and there wasn't anything for her to see. "S-Someone? Are you there? Please answer me!" _'Hee hee... I'm just imagining things... I'm sure I didn't hear anything... It's definitely not a ghost...!'_

When she ran back into the hot springs wailing for Rika, I realized that maybe I'd just traumatized my friend. Well, she was a strong girl. She'd be fine. More importantly, I needed to get dressed -

Huh? What's this note in my pocket? 'Don't worry Darling, I won't say anything if you don't get caught. Enjoy the show! PS: If you got caught, hi Himiko!'

...YUUNA!

...

"My skin is so smooth now~!" Yuuna exclaimed. "Darling, feel!" I sighed and obligingly ran my hand on her arm. It really was smoother... A place like this would definitely be a huge hit with idols if it left them looking this refreshed. _'So how was your day in the hot springs, Darling~?'_

Don't you dare, Yuuna.

The cute idol even had the gall to giggle at me! _'You're adorable when you pout, Darling! Even if Himiko would have been cuter!'_

"Th-This was lovely," Asuna said. "We should... come back some time..."

"Asuna, you're not really believable when you're burying your face in my chest," Rika said. _'Not that I'm complaining!'_

Nijika giggled. "I can't believe the Princess has a weakness like that! My little sister is going to love hearing about this. I have to tell her about everything!"

"Ku ku ku!" Saori laughed. "Having bathed in the springs blessed by Pirene, I'm feeling re-energized and inspired once more!"

"Man, that was a good soak," Takuya said.

Kenji nodded. "I'm glad we won that pass. There's no way I would have known it was here, otherwise."

"Yeah, yeah, time ta go," Kana said.

"Mm-hm!" Yuuna nodded. "We're going to log on to SAO once we get home, right?"

That was the plan, at least.

"SAO, huh..." Nijika hummed to herself. _'I wonder if Nanairo has an extra copy somewhere?'_

_'Heheh!'_ Sugu looked so proud of herself. _'Kazuto's gonna be so surprised!'_ Somehow I'm pretty sure I won't be surprised at all by the fact that you went out to buy a copy of Sword Art Online without me going with you, and then hid it in your closet so that I wouldn't find it if for some reason you were able to convince me to go into your room with you. Or the fact that you'd already created your character and leveled up a bit so that you could party with me as soon as possible.

"Alright! Let's go, girls. The car won't wait forever," Asuna said with a sharp clap. "We do have class tomorrow, so if we want to play tonight and still get a good night's rest then we need to get home as soon as possible." _'And maybe I can get away from that haunted bath! It's almost like the ghost is here, watching me!'_

Time to get back on the bus. With a very energetic Saori, who was currently rambling about the locks made of magma and the coldest ice. ...Next time, I'm riding with Yuuna and screw the close quarters with the girls.

* * *

"Ahhh~..." Argo stretched luxuriously and indolently, her virtual avatar moving in ways that were hard to ignore. I sat down on the bench in the town square and watched her. "Feels good ta be back in here. Been so busy with school stuff, ya know?"

Yeah. I was super stressed out the last few weeks. Though, Argo... How come you were so twitchy earlier, at the hot springs?

Argo curled up on the bench next to me. "The family that owned that place was like..." _'How do I talk about a different clan?'_ "Kinda like a branch 'a our family? We're the main branch, an' they're an offshoot, kinda. But where we have a bunch 'a different shops an' stuff, the Kanamoto branch does, uh..." _'Well I can't say they're thieves!'_ "They do a lot of acquisitions an' stuff. Guess I just have some family loyalty in me, nya hah hah!"

So it's a ninja thing, got it.

"Ninjas don't exist, Kii-boy~," Argo reminded me, playfully poking my nose. "Ya know that by now, right?"

Instead of replying to Argo, I stood up and twisted out of the way. Strea landed on the bench right where I'd been sitting and wrapped her arms around the empty air instead of me. "Awww!" she complained. "It's not fair that you always dodge my hugs! Just because you can -"

"Strea, I told you, you need to be more careful!" Yui said. I looked over at Argo and her nose twitched. "Hello, Papa! It's been a while. Have you been enjoying a fulfilling school life? That's a very important theme I've noticed in my research! I hope you're having a lot of exciting days!"

There's been plenty of excitement, all right.

"Hooray!" Yui cheered.

It's... not really a good thing...

Kizmel was right behind Yui. "Ah, Kirito," she said. "It's good to see you once more." I smiled at her. Finally, someone big sister-like and responsible!

It didn't take much longer for the rest of the girls to log in and join us. Asuna and Liz were the first to arrive, followed shortly by Yuna and Argo. "I'm so sorry!" the singer apologized, bowing deeply. "But Argo said that she'd heard something about the Chant Extra Skill, and I absolutely had to look into it!"

"Nya hah hah!" Argo snickered. "But it was worth it, right~?"

"Of course!" Yuna smiled happily and threw up a peace sign. "Guess who unlocked Chant!"

"Ah! Congratulations!" Asuna exclaimed.

"Hooray!" Strea threw her arms around Yuna. The poor idol made a noise I'd never heard before as the Strea Hug took its toll. "I know you were working really hard for that!"

"Th-thank you... Urk... Strea..." Yuna somehow managed to return the hug. Out of all of us, I think Liz is the only one who can manage to even temporarily survive a hug from Strea... _'Are you proud of me, Darling?'_ Of course I nodded.

You worked really hard, Yuna. Good job.

"Asuna," Kizmel said, "I have some good news for you."

Asuna immediately whirled around and stared up at Kizmel, her eyes all but literally sparkling. "Really?! Then, what I asked you to look into -"

"Yes, yes," Kizmel said with a fond smile as she patted Asuna's head. _'She gets so excited about the simplest things. Still, I find much of Tilnel in Asuna, and I don't mind indulging her.'_ "On the 6th Floor, the Dark Elf castle has graciously allowed us to visit."

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Asuna squealed. _'Another elven bath! This is amazing news!'_ I guess our plans for the day had changed from trying to clear that cool dungeon I'd found on the 16th Floor were put off for tomorrow. "Alright everyone, let's go-"

"Excuse me! Wait for me!"

All the girls turned - and then their jaws all dropped. _'Whoa! I'm not drooling, right?'_ Argo surreptitiously wiped at her mouth.

The blonde girl running towards us while waving wore an emerald green tunic and a matching skirt that left her legs revealed; her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail that was held in place by a silky ribbon. But her admittedly nice equipment wasn't what was making the girls stare so hard at her. No, that honor went to, uh...

Let's just say that Strea had a _lot_ of competition now.

Wha- Of course I'm not going to talk about my little sister's chest or how she'd decided to play with the avatar to make it even bigger than reality! You perverts! I almost want to tell you to stop reading now!

Fortunately Keiko wasn't playing this game with us, or she'd probably be curled up in a ball right now. Apologize, Sugu! Apologize to all the unfortunate girls out there!

_'Th-that's insane... B-But there's no back pain in this game, so...'_ "I, um... Hello?" Asuna stammered.

The blonde came to a halt in front of us. Now that she wasn't running, I could take a closer look; sure enough, Sugu had put plenty of work into making her avatar gorgeous. "Hi there... My name's Leafa, and-"

"'Scuse me..." Argo folded her arms over her chest. "Hang on a sec, there. I remember hearin' somethin' 'bout that username before... Ah ha! Yer Kii-boy's sister, aren't ya?"

"Ghk!" Leafa blushed. "K-Kazuto!"

Hi Sugu.

Yuna blinked rapidly. _'So big...'_ "Ah! Hi there, Leafa! I didn't know you had the game, honey!"

"W-Well, I just got it recently." Leafa kicked at the ground with her boot. "And I kinda wanted it to be a surprise." _'If I kept it a secret, then I'd get to spend extra time with Kazuto and he wouldn't know! And then I'd get to keep getting closer and closer, and maybe even get to spend the night with him in the same bed! Kyaaa~! Maybe...'_ I can hear your thoughts, Sugu! I'm never going to let that happen if I can help it!

"It was definitely a surprise!" Asuna said. "So, um... You look..."

_'Great!'_ Argo thought. "Different," Argo said.

"Eheheh!" Leafa twirled around and lifted the hem of her skirt. She did that exact same pose when we played in ALO! I knew she practiced that! "This is the avatar I used when I was playing ALO with Kazuto, so I wanted to remake it."

"You remade yours, huh?" We all looked over at the girl that approached us confidently. Shino looked a little different without her glasses, but the green vest and leggings reminded me of her GGO avatar. "I figured I'd go with something a little different. ...If only to match you better, Master."

_'That reminds me, I _have_ to see Darling in his GGO avatar! I bet he'd look adorable!'_ "If you're calling Darling 'Master', then that means you're Shino!" Yuuna waved happily.

"Sinon in here. I kept my GGO name, at least."

"I'm not late, am I?" The twintails bouncing towards us were a dead giveaway. Poor Keiko immediately stared directly at Leafa, and her jaw dropped. Then her eyes drifted to Strea and I swear I could hear a cracking sound as the light died in her eyes. _'This is so unfair... Stupid avatar restrictions!'_ "Please, call me Silica."

"Hi there!" Yui smiled up at everyone. "I'm so glad Papa has so many friends! You're all very beautiful!"

"Papa?" Sinon stared at me. Somehow I felt like I'd been demoted in her frosty gaze! "Care to explain, Kirito?"

Yui's an AI, and for some reason she calls me Papa. It's out of my control.

"...Sure. At least you're not pretending to be a girl here, Ki-ri-ko-chan."

I already apologized for that!

"And I'm Strea!" Strea bounced. Silica's head bobbed up and down along with her. "Yui's my big sister! It's nice to meet Kirito's friends!" _'After all, he Winged me! So it's important that I meet everyone!'_

"Is this everyone?" Asuna asked.

"Almost!" Yuna said. "Nijika said she wanted to play too! She messaged me earlier saying she got a copy, so she should be almost done with her avatar creation!" Her eyes darted to the side of the screen. "She's got great timing! Nijika just messaged me. It looks like her avatar name is... Rain. Aww, that's really cute!"

Rain, as it turned out, had chosen to keep it simple; the only real difference between her real life appearance and her avatar was the red hair that she'd chosen. She also wore equipment that... well, she looked like a maid. "That totally suits ya," Argo said with a wide grin.

"Th-thank you," Rain said with a cute blush.

After everyone was introduced to each other, Asuna took charge again and we all trooped off to the 6th Floor. With so many high-level players and even a dark elf to escort us there, we didn't have any problems despite a bunch of us being totally new to the game. I did give the middle school girls and Rain the short explanation about Sword Skills and how they worked, though.

The castle on the 6th Floor was pretty close, though, and so we made it after a short walk. Kizmel greeted several of the dark elves by name and they always showed plenty of respect in turn. The beautiful elf really was popular, even in the game! We could all tell Asuna was impatient to try out the bath, though, so Kizmel didn't waste any time leading us through the castle halls. "In here," Kizmel said. "Once we pass through these two rooms, we will be in the hot baths." She smiled. "I've been told that they are very relaxing, though I've never had the reason to test that rumor for myself."

Asuna was through the door as soon as Kizmel finished talking. The rest of the girls filed in, and I sighed before going through the second door. There wasn't any sense tempting fate, of course. Unequipping my items was just a few menu swipes, and I was soaking in the baths just a few seconds later. The spring was huge, with a tree growing roughly in the middle.

Ahhh... This was bliss. Finally, I got to relax.

Though... The room was very large to have all to myself -

I realized what was happening as soon as the other door opened up. "Ah, Kirito has already entered," Kizmel said. "Excellent. Let us join him -"

"What?!" Asuna shrieked. I've never been so thankful for steam blocking the view in my life. If I had seen anything, the rapier-wielding girl would probably find a way to PK in a Safe Zone. "K-Kizmel! You can't be serious! You're not wearing anything!"

"Why would I?" Kizmel sounded confused. "We are entering the baths, after all."

_'Kirito had better not look!'_ "Just... give me a second to make swimsuits for everyone."

Hadn't they taken a bath in the castle on the 3rd Floor? Oh right, I hadn't joined them that time.

_'Asuna always seems so worked up when it comes to that boy... They must be very close.'_ "Very well, Asuna," Kizmel said in the tone of every big sister humoring their little sister.

...

"Boys stay on that side of the tree root," Liz said very firmly. "Got it?"

I got it, I got it. I'm not even looking, relax.

"Good," she said. _'It's not like I mind, but this is still so embarrassing!'_

"Aww, but I wanted to take a bath with Papa!" Yui complained.

"Well, I suppose it's not that big a deal, with Yui," Asuna mused.

Strea splashed around. "So if family can take baths together, then that means -"

"Denied," Sinon said flatly.

"Awww!" _'I wanted to see if he'd give me a Norito!'_ I still don't even know what that is, and I probably don't want to know if Strea wants one so badly! It's probably some super-strong hug or something like that!

Argo let out a low whistle. "Sheesh, it's one thing in yer regular equipment, but seein' th' two 'a ya in a bikini like that..." _'It's almost enough to make a gal blush! Little Silica seems depressed more'n anything, though.'_

_'Hooray! I'm taking a bath with Kazuto! This is the best day ever!'_ At least _someone_ was having fun, though Leafa couldn't possibly manage to do anything with this many witnesses around. "Eh? What are you talking about, Argo?"

"...Nothin', Leafa. Nothin' at all."

"Hmmm..." This time, Yui's youthful hum was the signal that she was about to do something I'd eventually regret. _'I know! This sort of thing happens all the time in my research!'_ "When in doubt, confirm suspicions experimentally!"

"Kya!" Leafa squealed.

"Eh? Yui, why are you squeezing my boobs?" Strea asked.

"I wanted to know which of you is bigger!"

"...Well, which one?" Liz asked.

"Strea is, by just a little bit!" Yui chirped.

I sighed. I really didn't need to know that at all, Yui... "L-Let's just enjoy the bath!" Asuna said. The Princess sounded a little strained, which was really something. She always seemed so unflappable. "It's - Kizmel? Where are you going?"

"Hmm? Where else?" Kizmel replied. "I'm joining Kirito in the bath." Eh?! WHAT?!

"What?!" Liz yelped. Stop copying me!

I risked a quick glance over to see Kizmel wading towards me. Her dusky skin glistened with a few water droplets from the bath, highlighting the royal purple bikini that Asuna had made for her; it matched the color of her hair nearly perfectly, and -

Nope! I didn't want to go there at all! "Is there something wrong with my appearance?" Kizmel asked me. "Kirito, why will you not look at me?" Ghk! "I suppose I don't understand your human customs. Isn't this about as much as I wear when we sleep together?"

"You sleep together!?" Yuna exclaimed. "Darling! Have you been taking advantage of our wonderful Kizmel?"

No no no! It's not like that at all! Strea, tell them!

"Don't worry!" Strea chirped. "I sleep with him too, so I can tell you for certain that nothing is happening!" _'Not even my Norito! Boo! Stingy!'_

_'No fair! He'll sleep with these two... two... two hussies, but he won't let me cuddle with him at all!'_ "Um, Kazuto," Leafa said, "what is she talking about?"

"Master, I thought you were better than this," Sinon said.

It's not like thaaaaat!

Why do baths have it out for me today?! I'd take ninja thieves or ninja assassins or whatever over this!

* * *

**Don't worry, Kazuto, sooner or later you'll probably have to fight ninja thieves and ninja assassins IN the bath.**

**Saori is a dork but fun to write, since I basically just get to be as ridiculous as I want. This chapter is, naturally, the school festival chapter! And then, because I can, it's the hot spring visit chapter as well. Gotta get those tropes checked off the list as fast as possible.**

**Aside from moving the timeline forward, this chapter was setting up a few more interactions for the future. Plus a bunch of cute girls taking baths. (Though we don't get to see Himiko again. I miss Himiko.)**

**Many thanks to everyone that favorited, followed, or reviewed.**


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